A Kiss Goodnight
by Lapis Love
Summary: Reloaded. It was movie night. One friend showed up and then moments later, a vampire with a notorious and voracious appetite arrived looking to turn Bonnie into dessert. He wanted to devour and she needed devouring. Re-live the love story of Ripper Stefan and Bonnie Bennett.
1. New Ripper in Town

**A/N: Okay so I deleted this story in lieu of the crackdown that went down, but I'm putting it back up. If you want to relive the magic of Ripper! Stefan and Bonnie here it is. Just to recap, this story was inspired by the episode Stefan's humanity was shut off. Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts. Again. LOL! I give you A Kiss Goodnight.**

**Night...**

The screen faded to black cutting off the horrible images. Bonnie Bennett sat on the couch with her arms folded tightly across her chest. Her companion for the evening stretched his arms over his head and yawned.

"Well…that was boring," Matt Donovan snorted.

Bonnie shot him a look before un-gluing herself from the couch where she proceeded to pick up their remnants from dinner. A half-eaten pepperoni and sausage pizza sat in a box which was surrounded by crumbled napkins. Two half-full glasses of coke sat untouched.

"How can you say _The Grudge _was boring? The movie might be six years old and I still can't sit through the whole thing without covering my eyes."

Matt chuckled as he reached for his cell phone which had been chirping all night. It was another text from the night manager at The Grill asking him another stupid question. Just like the others he ignored it and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

"Just admit it, Bonnie. You're still afraid of the dark and have to sleep with a night light."

"Ha. Ha." She rolled her eyes and picked up her paper plate and prodded towards her kitchen. Matt followed suit and the two quietly began to move around her little abode like an old married couple. Putting away odds and ends, and washing what dishes there were in the sink.

Tonight was supposed to be pizza and scary movie night. Matt had been the only person to show up. Bonnie had gotten a text from Caroline saying she and Tyler wouldn't make it because things were still weird between her, Matt, and Tyler. And not to mention Tyler now being a hybrid she didn't think it would be safe to have him around Matt.

That Bonnie could understand and didn't hold it against her.

Elena and Jeremy on the other hand.

Well, Jeremy was still with Katherine doing God knows what. Naturally this didn't sit well with her, but Jeremy promised he was safe as long as Katherine felt he was useful.

Elena—yes had been through yet another horrible ordeal at the hands of Klaus and was off with Damon doing whatever it is they do when they're alone.

So that left Matt.

Bonnie had to say to herself it was good being around Matt and remembering how life used to be before vampire, werewolves, and hybrids rolled into town. It made her long for the simplicity of life that was no longer an option for her. Sure she could deny being a witch, go off to college, marry an accountant, and get a job as a librarian or teacher somewhere, but…the idea traumatized her more than gave her comfort.

She had stepped into her destiny long ago and finally stopped fighting who she was.

"Are you going to be okay here by yourself?" Matt asked after drying his hands with a paper towel. Bonnie looked at him over her shoulder and smiled.

"I'll be fine. I think. So long as I stay out of the attic."

"I mean…I could stay you know just to be on the safe side."

Bonnie leaned against the center island and propped a hand on her hip. "Matt Donovan, are _you _scared to go home? Do you need me to walk you to your car?"

To that Matt rolled his eyes and playfully pushed Bonnie's shoulder. "I'm just trying to be a gentleman."

"Or get lucky."

"Yeah, I'm sure Jeremy would _try_ to kick my ass if I attempted to put the moves on his girl."

"Hey don't hate on my boyfriend. He has definite bark to his bite or is it bite to his bark?"

Matt chuckled and then clapped his hands together. "I should hit the road. Unless you want me to stay to protect you."

Bonnie snorted and pushed away from the kitchen island. "Good night, Matt."

She followed Matt to the front door, opened it for him and then found herself pressed against his muscular chest.

"Thanks for having me over."

"No problem. We should do this more often…I mean as a group. This'll be our final year together so we should get in as much group time as we can."

Matt nodded his head and then jiggled his keys in his pocket. He wasn't so sure he was ready to hang out with Tyler, Caroline, and Elena just yet. He was still smarting over his breakup with Caroline although he had been the one to initiate it, didn't mean it hurt any less.

He looked down at Bonnie and wondered how she remained so strong in face of so much death, loss, and pain. He'd ask her one day but not tonight.

"Sleep tight," he said after a while.

"Text me to let me know you made it home all right."

Matt stepped out on the porch and swung around to face her. He grinned. "Afraid I might get lost on the way?

Bonnie shook her head as she held on to the door frame. "Afraid you might get eaten on the way."

Matt would have laughed at that if there wasn't a possibility of it happening. Now knowing what he knew about his hometown, there was no telling what might be lurking in the bushes right this instant.

Instead of giving into his mounting fear, he tossed up a hand in a lazy wave. "Lock up tight," he said before hopping in his truck.

Bonnie remained at the door and didn't move until she saw his taillights disappear around the corner. Sighing she closed and locked the front door.

Back inside her living room, she slapped the hood of the pizza box closed, ejected the DVD from the flat screen, and turned off the end table lamp.

Suddenly the back door swung open and Bonnie froze. Carefully sitting the pizza box down on the table and taking cautionary steps towards the kitchen, Bonnie stood up straight and tried to peer inside without having to actually to move from her spot.

"Matt if that's you, you're not funny," she said despite the fact her heart rate began to spike and she was feeling an eerie sensation run up and down her spine.

There was no sound. She could discern no one breathing just beyond the kitchen. Couldn't hear any movement. Nothing.

"Matt." She took a single step forward when the door slammed shut.

Startled, Bonnie gasped and then ran back through the living room to grab her car keys. She'd head over to Caroline's because she knew Caroline was home, that is if she made it to her car without anything happening to her in the process.

Bonnie threw open the front door and screamed.

"Hello, Bonnie."

* * *

Her scream lasted for perhaps sixty seconds too long before she cut them off, breathing erratically.

"Stefan!"

The vampire in question smiled in her direction.

Bonnie knew he was back in Mystic Falls with one sole purpose: to keep Elena under his protection—whatever the heck that meant. Since his return she had had no contact with Stefan since he was either busy drinking himself into a stupor, annoying the heck out Damon and keeping him on his toes, and all around being creepy, like he was being right now.

She didn't allow his casual stance against the threshold to belie her into thinking she could trust him. The Stefan standing before her wasn't the Stefan she had called a friend only four months ago. There was no humanity to his eyes, just lethal cunning. His forehead definitely wasn't brooding—it was wrinkle free the kind of forehead that said "I don't give a shit."

Bonnie gulped nervously. "What do you want, Stefan?"

He straightened from his lean against the threshold and peered down at her. His gaze was sharp and meant to be intimidating, but Bonnie rose to the occasion and put on her poker face.

"To come inside of course. We haven't seen each other in a _long _time, Bonnie. We should catch up."

Bonnie snorted and folded her arms defensively over her chest. "We have nothing to say to each other. Your lifeline has been severed. You honestly think I'm going to let you anywhere near me?"

He shrugged a careless shoulder. "Despite what you may think of me I didn't come here to fight."

"All right so cut the bull crap and tell me why you're here."

Stefan could smell her mounting fear. It went hand-in-hand with her anger which was like his personal favorite aphrodisiac.

"I'm hungry."

Bonnie couldn't prevent her eye roll anymore than she could prevent the sun from rising. "Then take your tail to the nearest blood bank."

She gripped the door and was prepared to slam it in his face, when Stefan's hand shot out preventing it from doing so. With one push, he thrust the door out of her hands causing Bonnie to jump out of the way lest she be hit with it. The door slammed into the wall, denting it.

She turned incredulous eyes to Stefan whose face was a perfect mask of wickedness.

"I don't think I've made myself clear, Bonnie." His face turned downright unfriendly. "I'm hungry. You are going to invite me inside and I'm going to drink from you. If you don't I start killing your neighbors beginning with the Addison's. I believe the mom just gave birth to a cute baby girl. You wouldn't want her to grow up as an orphan would you?"

Bonnie felt her jaw go tight and her power screaming for release to teach the bastard standing before her a very valuable lesson.

"Bastard!"

"The decision is yours and," he laughed, "I don't think you're fast enough to stop me."

"I can stop you," she said defiantly.

Stefan winked at her. "Oh, yes give me an aneurysm; try to set me on fire. Go ahead and give it your best shot."

She didn't want to hurt him but she would to protect the lives of her neighbors. So she concentrated on her inner source of energy and directed it towards his head.

Stefan merely stood there undeterred.

Why wasn't it working? The blood vessels in his brain should have been popping like boils right about now.

"You done?" he asked with one eyebrow lifted in the air.

Bonnie groaned as she called off the pisonic attack.

Stefan's lethal smile was back in place as he slipped his hand under the collar of his shirt to pull out a charm.

"Klaus knows his fair share of witches all who specialize in different talents. I met this witch who spells charms to protect against mental attacks. I figured it'd be useful one day since I know a witch who's so fond of popping a supernatural's blood vessels like she's chewing gum. What's it going to be, Bonnie? Either you offer yourself up or I go door-to-door like its Halloween."

And she knew he would do it too since he was no longer programmed to care.

"Are you going to kill me? You're incapable of stopping once you taste human blood."

Stefan shrugged a shoulder like a human's death was nothing more than a bad side effect when dealing with a vampire.

Bonnie felt ice run through her veins. He was using her humanitarian heart against her, but…that didn't mean she wanted to die in the place of a bunch of strangers and she had no insurance Stefan wouldn't go on a killing spree once he drunk from her anyway.

"Do we have a deal or not? This is the last time I'm going to ask."

In her mind Bonnie began to formulate a plan. She was sure she could easily make a stake out of something and plunge it through his heart before he could sink his fangs into her.

Sure Damon and Elena wouldn't be happy with her about killing Stefan, but she'd write him an awesome eulogy.

Summoning up what was left of her strength, Bonnie took a step back. "Come in, Stefan."

Stefan placed one foot over the threshold followed by the other, standing so close to Bonnie that their clothes brushed up against one another. He reached for the door and shut it behind him quietly, clicking the lock into place.

Bonnie blinked up at Stefan, her body completely rigid. She wouldn't give into the terror that was bubbling up from her innards to rest in the middle of her throat.

If he was going to massacre her, he'd have to do it in the foyer. There was no need to make a bloody mess throughout the house.

But he had been dubbed The Ripper for a reason and kind of figured her friends would find her patched together in little edible pieces.

"Get it over with," she said through clenched teeth and annoyingly the bottom of her eyes began to line with tears.

Stefan captured a lock of her chocolate hair between his fingers and brought it up to his nose to savor the scent of her shampoo. Vanilla and gardenias.

"What's the rush?" he whispered. "We have all right."

Okay that made her panic and anxiety spike. He wasn't simply going to turn her on like a faucet and be done with it. He was going to continuously feed on her until he got bored and then snap her neck most likely.

"I always wondered what you tasted like, Bonnie, but unfortunately my brother got that privilege before I could."

"He attacked me and you saved my life, Stefan. Do you remember that?" she asked heatedly. "You pushed Damon off of me before he could drain me dry."

He smiled but it wasn't a smile of reminiscence. "If Damon wanted you dead he just would have snapped your neck or ripped your heart out of your chest. He was merely…teaching you a lesson. My apologies, teaching Emily a lesson."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and shook her head. This argument was pointless.

Having enough of this trip down nightmare lane, Bonnie brushed her hair off her shoulders, and wrenched down the collar of her shirt. She turned her head to the left.

"Just…do it already."

The veins under his eyes undulated and the sclera of his eyes turned blood red, his fangs extended.

He drew closer and closer until she felt the tip of his nose graze across her cheek. Bonnie pierced her eyes closed and waited. And waited. And waited.

But then nothing happened.

Bonnie opened her shut eyes and looked at Stefan. His hungry gaze was rapt on her neck, but…he wasn't making any moves to bite her.

"Not here," he said gravelly. He took her by the arm and led her to the living room. Bonnie began to protest but the pressure on her arm was such it was a miracle he didn't snap the bone.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable," he threw her down to the couch. Bonnie bounced against the cushions a few times before sliding over to the far end of the couch.

Stefan sat down beside her, reached for the remote and clicked on the TV.

"So what was it you and Matt were watching _The Grudge _was it?"

"You were spying on us?"

He shifted a little to face her and grinned. "I didn't think he was ever going to leave."

"How long have you been watching me?"

"All day."

She blanched at the news. All day long she had had another pair of eyes watching her every move and she not once picked up on it. Either she had been completely self absorbed or Stefan was just that sneaky and stealth. It may have been a combination of the two. So did that mean he saw when she was running around her bedroom naked trying to find her bathrobe?

The smile on his face said he had.

Bonnie arms unconsciously covered her lady parts.

Stefan slid back against the couch, slung an arm over Bonnie's shoulders and drew her closer.

She didn't understand his method. If he just wanted her blood why was he wasting time by behaving as if they were on a date or chummy or whatever this was supposed to be about? Was this how he operated when he was addicted to human blood? Sitting up scenarios like he and his chosen victims were close friends who hung out and he merely tapped a vein every once in a while until things got out of control and he mistakenly drained them dry?

The ten o'clock news was on. Bonnie couldn't force herself to concentrate on the anchorwoman as she discussed a house fire that happened across town.

"You need to relax, Bonnie."

"How can I relax when I know the reason why you're here? You know, I don't think you really want to drink my blood because you would have done so already."

He laughed and tightened his grip on her shoulders. Bonnie squirmed against him uncomfortably.

"Stop trying to figure out my madness, Bonnie. It'll give you premature wrinkles."

Suddenly her cell phone binged. It was her text message alert. Matt had made it home.

Stefan looked over his shoulder at the device that rested atop the foyer table. Speeding over to it, he picked up her phone and read her text.

"Matt made it home. Should I reply back?" he held up her phone, and then answered his own question. "I should reply back so he won't worry." His hands began flying over the keys. "'Good to know. PS I might not be in school Monday so don't freak if you don't see me. B'"

Bonnie's face shriveled like she had eaten a lemon.

After sending the message, Stefan crushed her phone in his hand and sprinkled the pieces to the floor like it was glitter.

Since he was busy destroying her property, Bonnie took that as her opportunity to go for the phone in the kitchen.

Sprinting off the couch she had just made it to the kitchen when a flash of wind flew past her. One minute the cordless phone was hanging on the wall and the next, it was in Stefan's hand. He had ripped it clean from the wall.

Turning around Bonnie headed for the stairs. There was another landline phone in her room.

But by the time she made it to the top of the stairs, Stefan stood there with his arms folded looking amused.

"Going somewhere?"

"You asshole! Why are you doing this?"

"Why not?' he yelled back in her face.

Not thinking Bonnie flung her arms out, her palms made contact with his chest in what should have been a push, but Stefan barely moved.

"Since you're up here, why don't we get more comfortable?"

"No."

"Yes."

He took her by the hand and began walking backwards towards her bedroom. Once inside, Stefan flicked on the light and strolled confidentiality towards the bed. Bonnie stood poised next to her bedroom door and was ready to make another run for the front door.

But when she saw Stefan reach for her journal a new fear spiked through her.

"Stefan don't!"

But he was already on the other side of the room and began to read the passages inside. When he saw his name, he paused long enough to read her words aloud.

"_There are days when it's hard to focus around Stefan and Damon. And I'm not just talking about focusing on the task at hand, but focusing on keeping the part of me that's female locked away and from being exposed. It's embarrassing how sometimes I think about them when I shouldn't, considering how crazy Elena is about Stefan, and I have Jeremy in my life. But I can't help my curiosity and wonder what it would be like to kiss them, ride them, do things I shouldn't think about doing to them._

"Bonnie, I'm shocked."

She blushed from the bottom of her feet to the roots of her hair.

"It's cool," he said and for the first time Bonnie would have sworn the old Stefan had resurfaced. "And understandable that you'd want to have sex with me."

"Ass," she said and approached him while reaching for her journal which he held up in the air. "Now you're starting to annoy me. Give me back my journal."

"Have you and Jeremy even gotten to second base yet?"

"Oh, my God, you _are _related to Damon. You sound just like him."

Stefan scoffed. "Damon got his coolness from me."

"Whatever. Give me my journal back. You came over here to drain me not embarrass me to death."

"Is someone getting impatient with me?" he wagged a finger at her. "That would be so unwise right now."

"I don't give a damn. You're going to do what you're going to do so do it already!"

Stefan stared at her for a moment before tossing her journal aside. "All right," he said before grabbing her.

Bonnie squeaked and had no time to prepare herself for what she thought would be her death.

However, instead of feeling his fangs pierce her skin, she felt his cold, urgent lips against hers.

It may have taken a second or minute or two for Bonnie to realize Stefan was kissing her and that she was kissing him back. When she found enough force of will to push him off of her, she wiped his kiss off with the back of her hand, and stared murderously at him.

Stefan stepped closer invading her personal space more than he already had. "You know you want me."

Bonnie shook her head and took a step back. "You're insane."

"In the membrane," he chuckled and ran a finger along her jawbone. She slapped his hand away.

"I don't want you, Stefan. I love Jeremy. And somewhere deep inside you, you still love Elena."

To that the vampire's eyes darkened with menace. He mimicked the sound of a buzzer. "Eckkk, wrong, Bonnie. Elena doesn't do it for me anymore. Besides she's currently hard up for my brother and who am I to stand in the way of true love," he said dreamily.

"Are you listening to yourself?" she asked. Bonnie had yet to realize she was standing in front of her bed. "Elena was, no IS your life, Stefan. You care about her. You love her, and you'd never do anything to hurt her."

Stefan shook his head back and forth throughout her entire speech. "That love you speak of is like a vague memory. Like a dream you try to remember but can't. Those feelings are gone."

Bonnie didn't believe that. Not for a second.

When Stefan's body bumped into hers, Bonnie's knees buckled and she fell to the bed. Her eyes had remained on his although she knew she was in a pickle of a situation.

Stefan loomed over her and began to run his fingers through her hair. He bent at the waist at the same time he tilted Bonnie's chin up. Their lips met yet Bonnie would never admit it was with mutual eagerness.

This was wrong that voice screamed at her. This wasn't the Stefan who had professed his undying love to her best friend, she could say that with a clear conscience, but it was still Stefan. And she didn't lie when she said she loved Jeremy. She did. Hell she brought him back from the dead. So why was she allowing _this _to happen?

Maybe because he isn't drinking your blood, the other voice in her head said.

Before she could process what was taking place next, her back met the mattress and Stefan was devouring her lips like a dehydrated man drinking water. Her lips parted to cuss him out but Stefan utilized that to stuff his tongue in her mouth.

Her intentions were to bite his tongue off, but unfortunately hers grew a mind of its own and begun to massage his.

Stefan smiled in victory. She was giving in easier than he thought she would. Not to say she hadn't put up a fight, but he wasn't done with Bonnie. Not by a long shot.

After a few minutes of depriving her of oxygen, Stefan ended the kiss. Her eyes were heavy lidded.

"Are you going to bite me now?" she whispered feeling the betrayal of her body responding to him.

"Yes," he answered before injecting his fangs into the space where her shoulder and neck intersected.

Bonnie arched against the bed and screamed only a little until she realized that it didn't hurt. It felt a little weird. There was suction involved, and she could hear Stefan gulping her blood down his throat as if it were Gatorade, but there was very little pain.

Slowly her body began to warm and she felt her skin go tingly all over. Hmm, she thought almost dreamily. What had been her biggest objection to vampires feeding on humans again? How could anything that felt this pleasant be a bad thing? Okay so she didn't have the best experience at the time to be a judge, but now feeling Stefan take her blood with little to no pain, she squirmed against him but only to get closer.

Her blood was like drinking the best ripened grapes on earth. It had just the right amount of saltiness which meant Bonnie ate a very good diet, and it was thick enough to cause significant physiological changes within himself. Stefan had to coach himself to slow down and enjoy it or he would accidentally kill her right there and then.

When he ejected his fangs from her skin, he peered down at her. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was steady. She was close to being completely knocked out.

So to wake her up, he began kissing a trail from her chin to her clavicle. "Wake up, Bonnie," he said against her skin.

Her eyes sprang open and she brought her eyes to him.

"Are you done?" she asked.

Stefan leaned up just enough to wrench his shirt clean off his body. Her eyes bulged as they came face-to-face with his impressive six pack.

"Let's see if we can bring your fantasy to life."

* * *

Monday came and Bonnie was finally permitted to leave her house. The entire weekend had been spent in a haze of feeding and sex.

Bonnie had lost count of how many showers she took. Sometimes she was allowed to shower alone, while other times Stefan ambushed her, bringing her body to completion over and over until hot tears slid down her cheeks, and her voice was hoarse from screaming at the ceiling.

Why didn't she do ANYTHING to stop him? She had the power to do it. At anytime she wanted she could have ripped that charm off his neck and given him an aneurysm powerful enough to flatten Manhattan. But she didn't. She either laid there spread eagle, or sat astride him, or was on all fours allowing Stefan to do any sinful thing to her body.

And she enjoyed every single minute of it.

Bonnie tried to rationalize that if he was with her he wasn't out hurting other people.

But not one of her friends had popped up at the house to check on her. What was up with that? Now that she was cut off from the hundred dead witch bitches she was no longer useful? Surely with Stefan not lurking around the boardinghouse it meant he was somewhere terrorizing someone, and that didn't warrant Damon to put out an A.B.P for him?

Unless Damon had taken Elena out of town.

Yeah, that sounded plausible.

And what about her own boyfriend? Was he even still alive? Did he fall for Katherine's charm and was now another one of her puppets? Would that in some weird way be incest?

Bonnie tightened her cardigan around her body and climbed behind the wheel. It had taken her several hours to conceal the visible bite marks around her neck, but Stefan had given her enough of his blood to speed up the healing process. The scars were still there but faint, and the only way someone would be able to see them was if they were standing right on top of her.

Cranking the engine to her car, Bonnie would try to get through her second week of school as normally as possible even if she felt disgusting and used.

After school she head over to the mall to replace the phone Stefan turned into kibbles and bits.

When she pulled up into the parking lot all the usual suspects were loitering around their cars. Damon was there which Bonnie took to mean he had driven Elena to school. They were standing shoulder to shoulder while she was all smiles and giggles with Caroline. Tyler stood close to Caroline but he was busy watching his peers walk around.

As Bonnie continued to look around the parking lot she saw no sign of her own boyfriend.

Which bought her some time.

How in the world was she going to look Jeremy in the eye? Let alone kiss him, act all lovely dovey when she was sure Stefan's scent was so far imbedded in her skin it would be almost impossible to differentiate his scent from hers?

She was screwed.

"There she is," Damon said alerting the others of her presence. "She has arisen from the dead to join the living."

"Hey Bon, where have you been? I've been texting you all weekend," that was Elena.

You could text but you couldn't unglue yourself from Damon's side long enough to stop by my house and rescue me from your sex crazed ex-boyfriend, Bonnie thought.

She hugged her books closer to her chest.

"I was home," Bonnie replied meekly.

Elena and Caroline shared a look.

"Are you sure?" Caroline asked. "Because I stopped by your place twice yesterday to see if you wanted to do brunch but you never answered the door."

What had Stefan done? Bonnie's thoughts were wild and then she found herself unable to answer because the vampire who had basically kidnapped her in her own home strolled up to the group.

Everyone immediately tensed.

His shades were obsidian black and he was sucking on a red lollipop. Bonnie felt her cheeks warm and reddened as she remembered what Stefan had done to her with a similar lollipop.

Who knew they had more than one use.

Damon elected himself as spokesperson as he stepped into Stefan's path. Bonnie was sure Stefan was glaring at him coldly.

"Stefan," Elena said.

He ignored her.

"What are you doing here, Stefan?"

"I should ask you that. Have you decided to get your GED, Damon?" Stefan snorted and thrust him out of the way. Stefan approached Bonnie and stood next to her but didn't acknowledge her in anyway.

Naturally all eyes fell on her and Bonnie had to train her face to look outraged, which wasn't difficult.

"Stay away from Elena and you and I won't have any problems."

Stefan pulled the lollipop out of his mouth. "Who said anything about me bothering Elena? Besides, she's not the only girl with a pussy around here."

Everybody's jaw dropped and smacked against the asphalt.

The bell rung.

"We better get to class guys," Stefan said cheerily.

Naturally Stefan would be in her first class of the day. Her art history teacher didn't believe in assigned seats, so when Stefan patted the seat in front of his, Bonnie knew she had no choice but to obey or he'd obliterate everyone in the room.

Sliding into the seat Bonnie tried her best to ignore him, but soon Stefan was blowing air across her neck and began saying suggestive things to her like:

"That lollipop was nowhere _near_ as sweet as you." "I can still taste you on my tongue." "My dick sprang to life when I saw you."

Several times her eyes and her legs crossed because he was trying to bring her to orgasm without touching her.

He escorted her to all her classes, sending her off with a parting gift in the form of a brush of his fingers against her breast, or a quick kiss to her erogenous zone on the back of her neck.

When the day was finally over, Bonnie had to tell Damon so the both of them could figure out a way to get Stefan to leave her alone.

Unfortunately he sat perched on top of her car. Bonnie rolled her eyes and dropped her satchel to the ground in impatience.

"Why are you still bothering me?"

Stefan slid off the hood of her car and stood before her. "Because you like the things I do to you."

"You're using magic on me aren't you?"

With the shake of his head the last of her reasons for betraying Jeremy and Elena had been dashed.

She was a monster and just as bad as Stefan and Damon.

"Stefan…I can't do this anymore. What happened…"

He silenced her by placing his index finger over her lips. "Bonnie…don't try and fight this because it'll only make things worse. I get it," he said sounding almost sincere. "You love Jeremy and you love Elena, but what about your needs? Who's taking care of those?"

She laughed but it lacked humor. "Is this what this is all about? You taking care of 'my needs'" she illustrated the point with air quotation marks.

"In a manner of speaking. And what's the purpose of me being in this po-dunk town if I can't have a little fun."

"But why me?" she stressed.

Stefan shrugged his shoulders. "I've always had a soft spot for you."

"Sure because I'm Elena's best friend."

"Nah, I'm sure it went a little deeper than that."

"Now you're contradicting yourself. You don't feel anything for anybody anymore."

Stefan pressed up against Bonnie and she had to gasp and then hiss when she felt his hardness.

"That's not _entirely _true."

She pushed him away from her. "That's physical and nothing more."

Stefan bent his knees a little to look Bonnie right in the eye. "And why does everything in your life need to have meaning. Why can't you do shit just to do it?"

"Because that's not how _I've_ been programmed to behave! Clearly you've lost it and you need to get it back but not through me."

Bonnie walked around Stefan and made it to her car before he flashed to her side. She breathed heavily through her nose and glared up at him.

"I'll leave you alone, Bonnie and I won't hurt anyone you care about if you do one thing for me."

She didn't like the sound of this but if it meant she could erase the last seventy plus hours out of her memory and move on with her life without wondering when the next ambush was going to come, she'd do it.

"What?"

"Make love to me."

To be continued.

**A/N: I may make some alterations to certain scenes, but the story will remain the same. Thanks for reading! Love you guys!**


	2. Tough Lover

**A/N: Thank you to all who have added back to their lists and left a review. I'll be trying to add more chapters within the next few days.  
**

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

"_I'll leave you alone, Bonnie and I won't hurt anyone you care about if you do one thing for me."_

_She didn't like the sound of this but if it meant she could erase the last seventy plus hours out of her memory and move on with her life without wondering when the next ambush was going to come, she'd do it._

"_What?"_

"_Make love to me."_

Bonnie's jaw felt like it was hanging loose from its hinges. She must have been determined to catch flies because she continued to be amazed by some of the outlandish stuff that came waltzing out of Stefan's mouth. Was he being for real right now? He wanted to make love—the both of them together—when he was apparently clueless on what that meant and entailed.

"This is a joke, right? You're trying to set me up."

Stefan folded his arms, his face passive but his eyes were electric. "Since you abhor doing anything without meaning I see the only way for our horizontal and sometimes vertical times to keep rolling is if you make love to me."

"Do you even know what that means?"

"Vaguely. Look I know you're part of operation: Rescue Stefan and by doing this you'd be doing your part in rehabilitating me, making me a better man," he snorted. " Although…"

Stefan saddled closer to Bonnie and ghosted his fingers across her cheek.

"What we've been doing…"

"What you've been _forcing _me to do," Bonnie corrected.

Stefan flashed a smile. "Remind me what it feels like to make love, and I won't hurt anyone you care about."

Decisions, decisions, Bonnie thought. But there was no way in the world she would be able to convince the world's most pathological liar that what's going down between them was love. It was impossible.

She wasn't in love with Stefan. Yes—lust was a hell of drug but that's all that had been boiling between them. Pure, unadulterated lust.

However, from the looks of things if she wanted to get him off her back and protect the people she loved, Bonnie would have to put on the performance of a lifetime.

Before she could even accept the challenge, Stefan's smile deepened until he burst out into laughter. All day he had been tap dancing on her last nerve and she felt something on the inside of her snap, crackle, and pop.

"I'm just joking." He laughed until a tear escaped his eye. "You should have seen your face," he chuckled before sobering. "Classic."

Bonnie growled at him and wondered if she could run him over with her car.

"You are such a piece of shit, Stefan."

He nodded his head in agreement. "But I'm a fun piece of shit. Come on, Bonnie. What we do is f*cking. I like f*cking you. It makes me happy," he grinned.

"Will you shut up!"

"Shut me up."

They glared at one another.

"I should be honest," Stefan said after a moment.

"Finally," Bonnie mumbled.

"That's not what I want from you. Not at all. I don't have time for that make love shit. It bores me."

"Just spit it out already."

"I want you," he poked her in the chest to emphasize his point, "to cum on my command."

Bonnie's voice was several octaves higher when she said, "WHAT?"

Yet Stefan continued as if she hadn't voiced her objection. "And every time you don't you will get punished."

Her eyes narrowed into slits as the wind picked up velocity and the clouds coagulated and the sky darkened.

Damn she's sexy when she's pissed off, Stefan thought. And he had her right where he wanted her. Sex with angry Bonnie was beyond fun it was electrifying.

"Bonnie," a familiar voice said. Stefan took a noticeable step back, his eyes rolling heavenward.

Jeremy was approaching them.

"Get rid of him. _We _have things to do. And if you give him any indication about what's going on between us…" Stefan looked to his far left and saw a pair of girls standing around chatting. He pointed at the strawberry blonde. "I will crucify the freshmen bitch. You got me?"

Bonnie was tired of this. Sick of this. Sick of him threatening the lives of innocent people so he could play between the sheets with her. Sure, it all might have been fun while it was happening, but Bonnie refused to be used beyond what happened over the weekend. She'd surely have to go to Damon and possibly Alaric and see if there's anyway to keep Stefan away from her while simultaneously keeping his body count low.

She watched with hatred and a tad bit of lust burning in her eyes as Stefan strolled over to the girls and began chatting them up. They naturally blushed and giggled because he was by far the most handsome guy to flirt with them all day probably in all their lives.

She ignored Stefan as he waved his fingers at her while pulling the freshman girl under his arm.

"Bonnie," Jeremy reached out and touched Bonnie on the elbow to get her attention.

Taking a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, Bonnie turned around to face her boyfriend.

She felt her heart burst inside her chest before that same heart began to take off like a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

Having gone three days without seeing him, Jeremy looked tanner than the last time they were together, and she wasn't sure if it was possible, but he looked taller, buffer. Had he been hitting the gym? Everything within her wanted to jump into his arms and lose herself, but Stefan was watching and if she didn't do exactly what he said, people were going to get hurt.

Hopefully he would notice how apologetic her eyes were despite what her mouth was getting ready to say.

"I'm not talking to you," she blurted.

The smile that was on his face instantly dimmed. "What did I do?"

"I haven't seen nor spoken to you all weekend, and before that you went off the radar. I rather be single if I'm going to be ignored in my relationship."

Startled, taken aback, surprised were just some of the words she'd used to describe the emotions that crossed her boyfriends' face. When Bonnie hazard a glance at Stefan, he now had both girls under his arms, his eyeballs had turned red, and she saw fang.

Yikes, speed this up Bonnie.

"I did call you. I've been calling you all weekend," Jeremy argued. "You're the one who hasn't been answering her phone."

Right, my phone, the one Stefan crushed to pieces.

"Whatever," she sniffed defensively. "We're officially on a time out. Good bye, Jeremy."

Bonnie spun away from him and snatched her car door open but Jeremy was on top of her.

"No, you just don't get to walk away."

She had one foot planted on the inside of her car and she saw Stefan pushing the girl's hair to the side—he opened his jaw.

Crap! She was out of time and desperate times called for desperate measures. She hardened her eyes towards her boyfriend.

"Just…go away! I'm mad at you! I don't want to talk to you. Get lost. Kick rocks. Lose my number."

Jeremy stood in shock for a second looking confused, hurt, and pissed. "You had a bad day," he said to her but sounded as if he were talking to himself. "I'm going to let you sleep it off. I'll catch you later."

Bonnie's eyes closed automatically for she couldn't stand to see her boyfriend slip away from her thinking she hated him when that was far from the truth.

She felt Stefan behind her, heard him chuckling, and stiffened when he slipped an arm around her waist. He snatched her keys out of her hand.

"Are you happy?" she scowled.

"I am. I'll drive."

Silently she walked to the passenger side of the car, and got in.

When they were both seated in her Prius, Stefan looked at her over the console. "Don't look so glum, snookums. It was either you put him out of his misery or I did, and I think your way of handling things is much less messier than mine."

"I wish I could strangle you or at the very least turn you into a frog and sell you to a pet store."

Stefan laughed boisterously at that and zoomed out of the school parking lot. He planted a hand on Bonnie's thigh.

"Tomorrow wear a skirt. Easier access."

Her eyes rolled again and she folded her arms over her chest. "You are a certifiable horn dog."

"Just be glad my wiener only wants you…for now."

She ignored him and wiggled against the seat as his fingers squeezed and brushed her leg. Her traitorous body was getting excited by his touch. She was melting into his touch.

Out of her peripheral vision she saw Stefan's smug smile. Bonnie shifted her gaze to glower out of the window and that's when she realized they were heading out of town.

"Where are we going?" she hoped she didn't sound as alarmed as she felt.

"I have to pick up my new ride."

"You bought a new car?"

He tilted his head to the side. "I wouldn't use the word bought."

Ah, Bonnie thought. He compelled his way to a new insanely expensive and ostentatious vehicle, or at least she hoped he only used compulsion and nothing else.

"Don't worry, I assure you the ink will be dry on the paperwork by the time we leave," he winked.

Hearing that did not make Bonnie feel any better.

* * *

The ink, Bonnie learned, was of course blood. It didn't come as a shock that after Stefan compelled his way to a new Maserati GranTurismo with a convertible top, that he'd take a bite or two out of the salesman, floor manager, and the receptionist.

Afterwards they stopped by a high-end boutique store where he bought her several dresses all of them extremely short and practically see-through. And he didn't allow her to walk out of the store without wearing his favorite out of the bunch. The dress was black and cream with French lace around the hem and bust.

It barely covered the apex of her thighs when Bonnie sat down and naturally Stefan placed his hand on her bare knee, using his fingers to caress the underside of her leg.

It was seductive and lulling. He was trying to rip her guard down brick by brick, but Bonnie couldn't allow that to happen because if she did, what would that say about her? That she was easy? Had no honor? Was just as sex-crazed as he was?

In her defense, she was human and humans thrived off the company of others, feeling loved, special, and above all important.

And maybe that's why she was allowing all of this to unfold despite all the opportunities she had to stop it.

Bonnie had time to think about her relationship with Jeremy as Stefan sped down the highway at ninety miles an hour, the wind whipping her hair across her face mercilessly.

Jeremy was more of a security blanket. He was sweet and funny, and good. Bonnie needed the goodness in her life because there was just so much darkness and bad. But even she had to admit there were days where she wanted more, yearned for more, there just hadn't been anyone around to fit the bill of what she was looking for.

Not until Stefan's switch got flipped.

She had always liked him. From the first time she laid eyes on him and said he had a "hot back" to the last day they spoke and he begged her to find a cure to save Damon's life, Stefan had been the vampire who made her change her perspective somewhat on his species.

Stefan had taught Caroline the ropes of being an immortal with the patience of a Buddhist monk. He had watched over Jeremy after his failed attempt to turn himself into a vampire. And countless times he had been there to rescue her from her own dumb mistakes.

But the vampire sitting across from her now…well he broke her heart more than terrified her if she were to be honest. And maybe being used for a distraction might be the ends to justify the means, but until then, she'd do all she could to help him. Help Stefan remember who he was—is.

If that meant coming on demand to keep the peace, well there were worst punishments out there.

Her future aspirations aside, Bonnie had to deal with Stefan 2.0.

If glares could kill Stefan's legs would have been sticking up in the air like a roach that had just been hosed with Raid. Bonnie watched through narrowed eyes as he sang along to all the tunes that played on the satellite radio.

Right now he was serenading her with the sounds of Ludacris "My Chick Bad".

Even she had to admit she was mildly impressed and a little turned on by this seemingly straight laced white guy rapping along to the master lyricists of the south.

"_Now your girl might be sick but my girl sicker. She rides that dick and she handles her liquor. She knock a bitch out and fight. Coming out swinging like Tiger Woods wife…"_

"Didn't know you were into hip-hop, Stefan," she interrupted him.

"I'm into a lot of things, and soon I'll be in you and everything will be right with the world," he took his eyes off the road to gaze at her.

Bonnie flushed and tightened her legs together inadvertently squashing Stefan's hand. He moved it up along her thigh and felt her heat beating against his fingers. His mouth watered. He couldn't wait to get her out of that dress and on his dick which was almost ripping the zipper of his jeans apart.

All day he had indulged in one appetite. It was time for the other to get satiated, so Stefan pulled the convertible down a service road. After traveling for about a mile, he cut the engine, flashed to Bonnie's side and opened the door.

Cautiously she stepped out of the car, carefully navigating the ground in the sky high nude heels on her feet.

They didn't walk any farther than the hood of the car. He pushed her gently on the warm hood, the heat of it causing goose flesh to rupture over her caramel skin.

Stefan stood before her wordlessly and blindly reached for his zipper. He pulled it down, the intention of what he wanted to do clearly etched on his face.

The saliva in the bottom of Bonnie's mouth pooled and she forced it down. Her heart began pounding against her ribcage like a frightened bird.

"Slide back on the hood," he said his voice sounding hoarse.

Stefan was glad she was so good at following directions. He watched with hungry eyes as Bonnie slid all the way back until her backside bumped against the windshield. She had her legs crossed at her ankles.

He took a step forward until his knees crashed into the grill of the car. "Open them," he commanded.

Bonnie uncrossed her legs and opened them as far as the tight dress would allow.

"Wider."

She gripped the dress by the hem and wrenched it up until it straddled her waist exposing the lace panties that were another "gift" from Stefan.

He touched her with a tenderness that was absent from their other couplings, and Bonnie nearly fell for the lie that he cared about her, wanted to make this about satisfying her needs and not his. Stefan completely eviscerated that notion when he stuffed his head between her legs and bit into her thigh and began to drink.

Bonnie did a combination of a moan and groan as she grabbed him by the crown of his head, as her body arched against the windshield. When he had drunk his fill, he ran his tongue across the bite marks to seal them, and pulled back to blatantly stare at her. Bonnie felt her body heating up.

It's about to go down, Bonnie thought as the first of many screams where ripped from her lungs that afternoon.

* * *

Seven hours later Bonnie stumbled her way out of the bathroom in the safety and security of her house. Okay, granting Stefan an invitation inside her home pretty much meant that her safety and security were thrown out the window. But the familiar walls were a good mechanism to trick her into thinking that she was safe from Stefan and his vile ways.

Her back was stiff and sore. Having sex on an aerodynamically correct car was more trouble than it was worth. Forget about the fact she kept slipping and sliding everywhere, Stefan had been almost brutal with his…passion. Every time he shouted "Cum" regardless if he had finished pumping all nine inches into her, she had no choice but to fly off the handle.

She wanted to cry because not once had any of her orgasms been fake.

And the way she acted afterwards, on the drive back to Mystic Falls. She had been all over him, practically meowing in his lap. Shameful.

Bonnie crawled into bed and hugged her pillow to her chest. Once Stefan dropped her off home with the good news that he'd be spending the night in his own bed, she had also been given strict instructions not to call Jeremy or any of her other friends, but to reflect on her afternoon.

Oh, she'd reflect all right. Reflect on why her flesh was so weak and why even after several hours of torturous pleasure she wanted Stefan again.

Shameful.

She had cried throughout her entire nightly routine of getting ready for bed.

And she wouldn't even acknowledge the little stab of jealously that hit her as she thought of Stefan giving someone else the same pleasure he had given to her during their separation.

He _did_ something to her. This wasn't natural. You weren't supposed to fiend after a sworn enemy or more to the matter a sworn enemy who had become a friend who then turned back into a sworn enemy. If her grandmother were here she'd probably take one look at Bonnie, know exactly what she was doing and to who, and disown her.

There was no one on this planet she could confide in about this. Stefan quite literally had her between a rock and hard place.

As she continued to muse, a thought did bing over her head. Caroline.

Caroline had been in this situation before but it was with the elder Salvatore. What was with them? Damon had used Caroline for sexual pleasure and as his personal walking TV dinner. She would be able to understand her predicament better than anyone.

Feeling a renewed hope enter her spirit, Bonnie climbed off her bed and reached for her purse only to remember, she didn't have a cell phone, and more importantly she couldn't tell a soul.

Sighing deeply and feeling a new threat of tears, Bonnie stomped back to her bed and fell backwards.

She was bored. Horny. And felt trapped.

She could fool around with some spells to work off the energy, but even that didn't compare to the thrill of feeling Stefan hammer his rod into her.

Okay, you're being more than ridiculous, Bon, why are you already acting sprung? She asked herself. Instead of answering, Bonnie got off the bed again and walked to her closet. She'd pick out her clothes for tomorrow.

The first thing her eyes landed on was the gaudy dresses Stefan bought. As she examined each one, she had to admit they were beautiful but totally inappropriate for school.

Sighing again, Bonnie pulled out the indigo A-line sheath. If she paired it with her caramel riding boots and her jean jacket she could downplay its sexiness. It _might _work, but she wasn't convinced.

Dropping her robe, Bonnie slid the material over her curves and then stared at herself in the mirror.

She'd never doubt Stefan's eye for detail ever again. The dress might have looked simple while draped on a hanger, but once it had a body to cover, she could see its underrated sultriness.

Tapping sounded on her window and she shrieked. Stomping over to it, and wrenching the curtains apart, it was the blue-eyed, not green-eyed devil lounging in the tree.

Bonnie opened the window. "What are you doing here?"

"Elena was worried about you and sent me to check on you. Seriously when did I become a messenger pigeon?"

Bonnie snorted and rested her elbows on the window sill. "You left her alone at the boardinghouse with Stefan?"

"Stefan has gone missing—again."

Bonnie didn't like the sound of that no matter what it may imply. "Aren't you going to go look for him?"

Damon waved a dismissive hand in the air. Stefan had been very thorough in his education in proving what would happen to those who continued to stick their nose in his business. Andie Starr ring any bells?

"I think he has to report to his _sire, _or whatever. He got a call and then took off. Which I'm glad because all he does is follow me around with his beady eyes. Creepy."

Bonnie smirked. "Don't tell me the fearless Damon Salvatore is afraid of his own brother."

Clearly looking offended, Damon's brows mashed together. "He will always be a pipsqueak to me."

"Right. Well as you can see I'm fine."

He smirked. "Trying to get rid of me because you have a hot date? Wait a second…you're dating Jeremy so scratch that last remark."

Bonnie dipped back inside her house, reaching for whatever would be handy. It was a book which she promptly chucked it outside at Damon's head, who caught it.

"Thanks," he said reading the cover of the novel. "I can add this to my library."

"Go away, Damon."

The vampire stretched his arms over his head. "Let me run. Tonight is hot oil massage night at the boardinghouse."

Bonnie grimaced while Damon wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Hey…did you do something different with your hair?" he asked.

"No. Why?"

Damon shrugged a shoulder. "You look…I don't know…less pinched than normal," he chuckled and ducked the shoe that was being hurtled at his head. "Well I'm off. Good night, Bonnie."

Within seconds he was gone and Bonnie shut her window.

Something was nibbling on her neck. Bonnie groaned and twitched away. The nibbling continued and it wasn't until she felt an icy tongue glide up her neck to fondle her earlobe that her eyes snapped open.

Bonnie turned until she lied flat on her back. She blinked to clear her eyesight and when her vision came into focus, she groaned again.

"I thought you were going to stay in your own bed tonight?" she croaked. Her throat was dry.

"Change of plans," he whispered as he went back to his earlier ministrations.

Bonnie knew she should have been annoyed that Stefan just strolled into her house like he paid the bills, but his mouth was doing that delicious thing it did against her skin while his hand was busy getting lost in her underwear.

Just as she was getting into it, feeling her limbs grow languid, Stefan pulled away. "He was here."

His tone was almost accusatory and Bonnie had to think about which "he" he was referring to.

"He only came to check on me, Stefan."

Stefan nipped her skin. "So long as Damon remembers his place, I won't have to resort to rearranging his face."

Bonnie grinned. "Oh-oh I must be getting to you because if I'm not mistaken that sounds like a possessive tone, and for a robotic vampire who feels nothing outside of lust, greed, and hunger I think you're close to having your switch flipped back to ON."

"You know what, you talk far too much. I'll just have to find another way to _shut _you up," he said bitingly before disappearing under the covers.

Her underwear was pulled down her legs. She felt a flick of a tongue, a poke of a finger, and before she knew it, Bonnie was high again.

Chapter end.


	3. A Mind of His Own

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

_(If there was such a thing as a vampire parapsychologist, and Stefan made an appointment this is how that colorful conversation might go down. Everything in bold is from Stefan's POV. And imagine he's sitting in an overstuffed chair, twirling his day-walking ring around his finger.)_

What drives you to do what you're doing?

**Nothing. Inside I'm as empty as a tomb.**

And the only thing you crave is what?

**Blood and sex but not always in that order.**

I understand the blood, but why sex?

**It quells my constant boredom. And it's the only thing close to real emotion I can get to.**

If that's so, why aren't you going after Elena? You loved her intensely for two years.

**Show me a beautiful girl and I'll show you a guy who's tired of sleeping with her.**

Is that why you're going after her best friend who's like a sister to her?

**Bonnie has repressed sexual emotions. I'm merely helping her free them.**

Surely you know it's wrong to be with her sexually because she is involved with someone. Elena's brother—

**Cousin, actually.**

Okay, Elena's cousin and she loves him.

**Yeah, but she can't get enough of me**.

And why do you think Bonnie is allowing your er…situation to continue?

**You'll have to ask her. Perhaps my charm and killer bod has something to do with it. Or maybe deep down she's always wanted me but the opportunity never presented itself until now. **

I don't think she's going to continue to allow you to use her for sexual services for much longer. In the beginning she complied because she thought by offering herself, it would keep others safe. But your old threats of hurting people she loves, and the people of this town won't have the same impact it used to.

**(Shrugs) Perhaps. But I think she's just as addicted to me as I am to her.**

So that's what she is now? An addiction and nothing more?

**If you're asking me if I care about her…I care enough to snap someone's neck if they try to interfere with our fun time.**

But what about Bonnie as a person? How does she make you feel? What does she really mean to you?

**(Thinks for a moment) She's fun, beautiful, lively. She has a heart for people that I no longer have. And…(smiles wickedly) she's excellent in the sack.**

We're back to the sex I see. However, you didn't answer my question.

**(Sighs—tiredly) I could walk away from her and not miss her, if that's what you're trying to get at. No—I would miss her. Miss hearing her moan my name as I give her a nice slow screw. Miss her fingernails raking my back as I bend her legs over my shoulders. Miss the taste of her sweetness on my tongue as she cums in my mouth. **

Okay, all right, moving on.

**(Chuckles)**

Let's talk about Klaus.

**What about him?**

Are you still loyal to him?

**Describe loyalty. I serve no one's agenda but my own. My job is simple, make sure Elena doesn't do anything stupid like accidentally die.**

And seeing her with your brother…that doesn't bother you?

**Why should it? Because I loved her? Because I wasted two whole years of my life trying to keep her from one) learning my secret, and two) sacrificing herself to Klaus—which all turned out to be a waste. You know…she's not nearly as flexible as Bonnie.**

Focus, Stefan.

**I wish them the very best. Maybe Damon is the better brother for her. **

Why do you say that?

**(Shrugs) He needs love more than I do because there've been very few people in his life who truly loved him. If Elena is that person, I'm not going to get in the way. **

But the old you would have fought for your relationship.

**Yeah, but that was mostly so Damon wouldn't gloat and dangle Elena in my face while saying: Look what I won. He is such a child sometimes. **

So the idea of Damon and Elena being together, touching, kissing, hugging, doing other things doesn't bother you?

**Do you have earwax buildup or something? I don't CARE what the two of them do. As long as they stay out of my way, my business, they have—what's it called? my blessing.**

Because you have Bonnie?

**She's a cool girl when she's not complaining. But I'm not looking to settle down.**

What if she came to you and said she's done being your puppet and she wants to resume her relationship with Jeremy. Would you let her go with your blessing?

**First of all, I've ruined her for other men. Second, she's not going anywhere.**

You sound pretty confident about that. May I ask why?

**I choose Bonnie for a reason. I didn't just wake up one day and say 'hey lets screw around with Bonnie'. Or maybe I did. Who knows. Out of everyone she's a viable threat. She can quite literally kick my ass. Damon could as well, but he'd feel bad about it and would only go so far because ultimately he doesn't want to hurt Elena. I swear she's had him by the balls since day one. And let's be honest, he can't exist without me. He wouldn't know how.**

Interesting point. So you're only messing with Bonnie because she's a threat?

**They're all threats. Bonnie is the biggest one because she hasn't come into her own yet. But…she's always been attracted to me. I could smell it on her. I just had to **_**push**_** her a little to get her to realize it.**

And this attraction you speak of…is it one-sided?

**(Smiles wickedly) My dick stays hard for her. I don't know what it is, the magic that's inside of her…her essence…I can't get enough of her. **

All right. When she finds a way to deal with you, I fear it won't be pretty.

**Which is exactly what I've been waiting on and baiting her for. I need a fair fight. You have no idea…I feel like I've been asleep for the last hundred and forty-five years. Pretending to be something I'm not. This is who I am. I'm only looking for my equal.**

And Bonnie is that equal?

**Maybe. **

SBSBSBSBSBS

Two weeks later…

There was an annoying sound going off in her ear. Bonnie turned her head away in the hopes that she could tune the sound out, but it increased in volume. Groaning and shifting until she was in a partial upright position, she pulled her comforter from over her head to glare at the source of the interference.

Her groans increased when she realized it was Stefan, lounging casually against her headboard drinking a Slurpee of all things.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and flopped back on her belly, turning her head away from him.

She hadn't seen him since their impromptu road trip. The next day at school she saw him cuddling with Eliza-bitch Michaels. So that led her to believe the worst was over, he had gotten tired of her, and had replaced her.

Seeing him in her room now, Bonnie was not looking forward to resuming the Carousel ride they had been on.

"I've been neglecting you," Stefan answered as he slid the straw back into his mouth and took a long drag.

Bonnie covered her ears with her hands and sighed heavily.

"If you haven't noticed I didn't mind."

And she didn't. The two week reprieve gave her time to screw her head on straight. She wasn't entirely sure if it would be safe to resume her relationship with Jeremy because she never knew when Stefan might be watching. So when she could she sent him IM messages on Facebook. Jeremy typically responded back but all of the questions she asked, his response would be one word answers.

So that prompted Bonnie to back off until he was ready to talk to her.

In addition to that she had learned about the new developments in the Elena and Damon situation. Damon, according to Elena had done a 180 and was taking care in putting her feelings first. Caroline naturally wanted to know if that meant they had swapped bodily fluids which Elena had blushed profusely but wouldn't admit to anything.

Bonnie would not own up to how relieved she felt that she wasn't the only person struggling with her hormones and was failing miserably.

"Come on, Bonnie," Stefan said before hoisting himself off her bed. She tracked his movements around her room until he went inside her closet, rummaged around, and pulled out a casual dress which he threw on the bed.

"You should wear that today."

She turned on her back, picked up the garment, inspected it. "Why?"

"Because your legs will look amazing in it. Now rise and shine, get in the shower, and get that beautiful ass of yours downstairs for breakfast."

"You cooked?"

Stefan stopped before exiting her room. He winked at her. "Of course I cooked. I do use my hands for other things you know."

Bonnie didn't move until she was sure Stefan was downstairs. Throwing her covers off, she prodded into the connecting bathroom.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The dark circles that had been under her eyes had disappeared. Her emerald eyes had regained their brilliance and sparkle. When she smiled it was natural no longer forced and pinched—according to Damon anyways. The time apart from Stefan and his insatiable appetite had done wonders for her and she certainly didn't want to lose it by resuming their er…situation.

Sighing, Bonnie slapped her hair in a ponytail, stripped and entered the shower.

Approximately twenty-five minutes later she slowly made her way downstairs and entered the kitchen. Stefan sat at the head of the table in front of a spread that would make Paula Dean proud.

On the table was a thick stack of homemade French toast, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, a bowl of oatmeal, biscuits, and hash browns. Really? Did he think she was a linebacker or something because there was no way she'd be able to eat a third of the meal he had prepared.

Stefan looked up from doodling with his phone. There was mirth in his hazel gray eyes, his lips stretched into an uncharacteristic smile.

Bonnie figured she should be worried, but her rumbling belly pushed aside all feelings of dread as she approached the table, ready to take a seat and dig in.

"Un-un," Stefan wagged a finger at Bonnie when she pulled out the adjacent chair. Then he patted his knee. "Your seat is right here. I want to feed you."

Gulp. Bonnie kept her face neutral as she crossed over to Stefan and took a seat on his denim covered knee.

Picking up the syrup he slathered it on the French toast. "Oops, some got on my finger. Do you mind?" He held up the digit to Bonnie. She narrowed her eyes at him but then took his finger into her mouth and sucked it off.

His eyebrows came together as his mouth fell into the shape of an "O".

Moving on before he got too distracted, he sliced the toast into edible pieces and proceeded to feed Bonnie.

It came as no surprise that Stefan was a good cook. She was quickly learning there wasn't much he wasn't good at. It was no wonder Elena constantly put herself in danger to try to convince Stefan to come back home. He was almost the perfect man. When he behaved at least.

"I think I'm done," Bonnie said when a majority of the plate Stefan made for her was clean. "Although I have to ask...why are you being sweet?"

He wiped the corners of her mouth before stealing a kiss.

"Damon made me watch _The Notebook_ last night. Girls like this kind of romantic shit from the way Elena and Caroline was blubbering all over the place. Flamin' chicks."

Bonnie snorted. "So you got something out of it, then?"

Stefan shrugged. "Sorry, but it's going to take more than a Rachel McAdams flick to soften me into a marshmallow."

"Figures. In any case...thanks for cooking. It was...nice of you."

"Good. I'm glad you liked it. Now," he stood up, taking Bonnie with him and holding her bridal style. She squealed, smiled, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She realized she was getting too comfortable with him.

"It's time for _my _breakfast." He picked up the syrup boat walked to the other end of the table and deposited Bonnie on it.

She looked up at him worried. "Stefan…we don't have time for this." Her heart instantly began hammering in her chest, and double timed when Stefan pulled up a chair, and sat down right between her legs.

"In case you haven't noticed I woke you up an hour early. Which leaves us an hour of fun time. So lean back so I can get started on my breakfast."

"Stefan…please…?"

Pursing his lips, he laid a hand on Bonnie's shoulder and pressed her to the table. Her head fell against the surface with a quiet thud.

Stefan sighed happily before going in for his breakfast. Bonnie pierced her eyes closed and wondered what circle of hell she would be going to.

SBSBSBS

All day all anybody wanted to talk about was the upcoming formal at the Lockwood Mansion. That meant her two friends would be dragging her all over town looking for the perfect dress, shoes, and accessories. In the past, the first formal event of the year would have had Bonnie giddier than a child on sugar, but the rumbling in her belly, the burn of ingestion in her chest wasn't making her look forward to anything.

Living a double life was beginning to take its toll on her.

After "breakfast" Stefan had insisted on giving her a ride to school. He had been very good about the two of them never being seen in the same place at the same time, and if they were ever in a place together and it couldn't be avoided they never talked to each other.

It was a ruse that had been ironclad that no one had detected as of yet.

Which naturally worried her because Damon usually had his eyes on everything. She was surprised that by this point, he wasn't following Stefan around since he spent most nights at her house. But maybe he was too busy putting the moves on Elena to really notice when his little brother was and wasn't around.

In any case Bonnie felt he was being sloppy.

Not that she was completely innocent in all of this. She still hadn't summoned up the courage to consult with Damon or Alaric about the Stefan situation. She had no idea how to start that conversation. "Hey, Stefan is using me as a sex slave, how do I stop him?"

Of course they'd be aghast, one because it was so unlike Stefan, and two why had she allowed things to go that route in the first place?

Again, that was a question Bonnie was still scratching her head over.

And of course walking around campus today had been somewhat of a challenge. She still felt sticky in certain spots. Damn syrup and Stefan's tongue.

She was sitting amongst her friends, all of them except Jeremy who she did see across the quad talking to Brian Torrey who was a junior as well. Several times they made eye contact, held it, but Jeremy would be the one to look away.

Elena for her part tried not to take sides but she didn't like the obvious rift that was between her best friend and her brother.

Bonnie looked at Elena when she felt her lay a hand on her arm. "Bonnie is everything all right between you and Jeremy? I haven't seen you guys together in a minute."

What could she say? I'm too busy having sex with your ex to attend to my own boyfriend's needs? That would be a conversation that wouldn't go over well.

"I've been trying to make things right, but…I guess I hurt his feelings more than I meant to. I'm sure with time everything will work out for the best between us."

"Well I hope everything will be on the mend by the time of the Lockwood party," Caroline interjected before taking a sip of her lemonade. "It would really suck for you to go stag."

Bonnie snorted and played with the label of her drink. Thanks so much for the sensitivity, Caro, Bonnie thought.

She stiffened when she saw Stefan approaching Jeremy. Her two friends caught on and brought their attention to what Bonnie was gaping at.

"Hey, Jeremy," Stefan strolled over to the brown-haired boy, arms folded over his William Rast button down.

The guy in question rose to his full height and steeled his spine. Since Stefan had returned to Mystic Falls he hadn't talked to him, barely saw him in fact. So to have him approaching him naturally made Jeremy put his defenses up.

He thought an uncaring Damon was bad, but from what he's heard from his sister an unhinged Stefan was ten times worst than Damon on his most belligerent day.

"Stefan," he pressed his jaws together to try to keep his apprehension in control.

"No need to look so tense. Just came to say hello."

"I've heard stories so sorry if I'm not willing to be on the welcoming committee."

"Yeah, so how you been? Everything okay in paradise?"

"No disrespect but I rather not discuss my relationship with you."

"Hey, I understand. And I get it," Stefan chuckled as if it were an inside joke. "Everyone has their defenses and walls up because ooh, there's a crazy Stefan on the loose, and no one knows what I'll do."

"We have our walls up because you've proven that you can't be trusted. Why are you here…I mean at school? Scoping out your endless supply of victims?"

Stefan winked but refused to comment. He turned his head in Bonnie's direction and waved. Seeing this made ice run down Jeremy's spine. Sure he and Bonnie might be fighting, that didn't mean he wanted her to become Stefan's next meal. If Stefan all of a sudden got it in his mind he wanted to taste witches blood, well other than his ring Jeremy really had nothing else in his arsenal to derail Stefan.

Bonnie looked away and began talking to Elena and Caroline again.

"Look," Stefan returned his attention to Jeremy. "I wouldn't worry so much about what I _might_ do. And as for everyone having their walls up…in Bonnie's case no one will penetrate her walls but me," he clapped Jeremy hard on the shoulder. "It was nice talking to you."

Stefan left Jeremy standing there with a question mark on his face.

"Dum-da-dum," Caroline whispered to the group and eyed Stefan as he sauntered his way over to their table.

Tyler rose to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest looking like a club bouncer. The girls remained seated, but underneath the table, Bonnie's leg started bouncing.

"I come in peace," Stefan held his hands out in surrender.

"How have you been, Stefan?" Elena asked.

"Murderous. So, I overheard talk about the Lockwood formal. I don't believe I received my invitation in the mail."

Tyler snorted. "It's an open invitation to all members of the community. You're a member…as long as you're a well-behaved member…you're free to come if you want. I assure you, you won't be missed if you decide to sit this one out."

"Good to know I haven't been completely ostracized by the Scooby-Doo gang. Well, if I'm going I'll need some threads. Bonnie…do you mind accompanying me to find something suitable for the formal?"

Several pairs of eyes stared at her like lasers. "I think Elena knows your style better than I do," she replied through somewhat clenched teeth.

The look he sailed in her direction Bonnie could be decipher as: Yeah, because I tend to lose my clothes when around you.

Stefan shook his head. "I rather have your opinion." He looked over at Elena who was trying her best not to appear jealous. "No offense, E, I'd just like some new blood around me."

"Asshole," Caroline mumbled under her breath.

Stefan cupped his ear. "You want to say that louder, Caroline? You got the balls to come over here and yell it in my ear?"

Tyler's arms dropped to his sides, his hands balled into fists, and he took a step forward. Stefan's jovial smile widened maniacally.

Bonnie abruptly stood up from the table and collected her belongings. She smelled a fight. "Fine, I'll go. I'm assuming we're leaving now."

He didn't respond until she stood before him. "We are."

Elena jumped up from the table. "You don't have to go, Bonnie."

Both Stefan and Bonnie looked at her.

"I don't mind going with Stefan," Elena added as she approached them.

Stefan stared at her drolly before removing the keys from his back pocket. "I'll be at the car."

Bonnie was left abandoned with Elena who she was sure was expecting her to bow out. "If he gets out of hand I can deal with him," was Bonnie's argument.

Elena looked torn for a minute fighting against her natural instinct to want to be anywhere Stefan is, yet reminding herself he wasn't the man she had fallen in love with. She didn't want Bonnie to get stuck in the middle of whatever was going on with him. But ideally, Elena knew Bonnie was right. She could put Stefan in his place better than she could. Maybe she should tell Damon and have him follow them just in case.

"All right, but text me as soon as you get to wherever you're going, and when you make it home. Better yet, ask him to drop you off at my place."

Bonnie nodded her head and leaned in to hug Elena.

Caroline was at Elena's side the minute Bonnie began to walk away. "You're just going to let her go with Stefan?"

The doe-eyed girl could only shrug a shoulder. "Bonnie can handle herself if Stefan gets out of hand."

"Yeah, well you must have missed the way Stefan was gawking at her."

Elena pivoted on her feet to face the perky blonde vampire. "What do you mean?"

Caroline planted a hand on her hip. "He was staring at her like she was something to eat, and that he _has _eaten her if you get my drift."

Elena smiled, chuckled and waved a hand at Caroline dismissing her assumption. "Stefan might be a lot of things right now, but he wouldn't go after Bonnie."

"Yeah, because his moral compass is in full operational mode right now," Caroline sniffed.

"You're forgetting that Bonnie would _never _cross that line with Stefan. She's in love with Jeremy and she'd never do that to me."

Caroline had to admit that much was true, still she was a vampire and she recognized the signs of a vampire in heat, and Stefan had all of the symptoms. The way he devoured Bonnie with his eyes, the fact he picked her over Elena to accompany him to pick out clothes. For everyone's sake she hoped she was wrong and that she might have misread the signs, but she wasn't a maneater without learning the tricks of the trade.

The blonde wrapped an arm around the brunette. "Don't you have another Salvatore you need to check up on?"

"He's busy with the Council today so I won't see him until later."

Caroline grinned. "Has he really changed that much that you're considering dropping the drawers?"

"What is your obsession with sex today, Caroline?"

Tyler having caught the tail end of their conversation stared at Elena dubiously. "Welcome to my world, Elena. I hope you got a box of condoms."

Bonnie slid into the passenger seat of the car, she barely had her seatbelt on when Stefan leaned over and invaded her mouth with his tongue.

When he pulled back, Bonnie had to uncross her eyes and teach herself how to breathe properly again. Her temperature spiked and before she could stop herself, she wrenched Stefan by the collar, smashed her lips to his, and dipped her tongue in his mouth. He bit her lip. She sucked his tongue. It was a battle of wills.

She pushed him away after getting her fill.

"Don't ever call me out in front of my friends again."

His smile was devilish as he put the car in reverse.

"I should do something else to piss you off if that's how you dish out punishment."

She looked at him out the corner of her eye. "You still got that charm?"

"Never leave home without it."

"I'm going to figure out how to get that off of you one day."

"Looking forward to it."

SBSBSBSBSB

Half way en route to her house, the heavens opened up and rained cats, dogs, locusts, and frogs. It was a mad dash from the driveway to the protective awning of the veranda. Slippery hands inserted the key into the lock and Bonnie and Stefan spilled into the foyer leaving puddles everywhere they stepped.

Their clothing was glued to their bodies. Her shirt molded like a cast against her breasts, and all of Stefan's six abdominals were visible through the fabric of his shirt. Bonnie began to blush and feel ridiculous. She's seen him plenty of times wearing his birthday suit, but he still had the power to steal her breath away.

Bonnie immediately headed upstairs to strip.

Vaguely she remembered she was supposed to head over to Elena's but…she had to change first right?

"I'll bring you a towel," Bonnie said as she left Stefan in the foyer. He didn't look uncomfortable only amused because Bonnie was sure she looked like a drowned rat. Her perfectly coifed hair was soaked to the roots and hung like clumpy ropes around her heart shaped face.

Her throat grew dry as she watched raindrops course down Stefan's chiseled features before dripping from the bottom of his chin.

Turn around Bonnie and keep it moving, she ordered her feet. Within seconds she entered her room and bum rushed inside the bathroom. Flicking on the light she began pulling out towels from the linen closet.

Retracing her steps she ran into an immovable object. The towels fluttered to the floor.

She meant to admonish Stefan for tracking additional water throughout the house, but somewhere between the bottom of the stairs and her room, he lost his shirt.

His skin was slightly damp and the absence of his chest rising and falling and the fact he wasn't blinking, he could have been mistaken for a frozen specimen. A deliciously handsome frozen specimen.

They stared unabashedly at one another and Bonnie found herself noting the different changes to his eye color. In the florescent lighting of her bathroom they appeared cornflower blue, but in natural daylight they became gray, and at night, a hazel green. His eyes were probably the most expressive feature he had and right now they were smoldering.

He shouldn't be able to make her feel like this. Out of control and amoral. But when they were alone and his attention was focused solely on her, Bonnie couldn't help but question if this went deeper than sex and blood between them.

Wordlessly Stefan cupped her right cheek and then the left, cradling her face and bringing her slowly to meet his lips.

Her eyes fluttered closed automatically as Stefan kissed her as gently as the first time she tasted his lips.

His hands disappeared from her face, ran down the length of her torso and gripped the hem of her shirt, pulling it up.

Their lips separated only briefly as he tore the material away leaving her there in a lilac bra. His fingers grazed upward until the pads of his thumbs ran over her nipples. Bonnie leaned into his touch.

"Tesoro mio," he whispered and pecked her lips.

Bonnie gripped Stefan by the hips and directed him over to her bed where she pushed him down to it and climbed atop him.

Stefan stared up at her with a pleased smirk. Their lips came together but this time it was in a bruising kiss that almost split Bonnie's bottom lip wide open.

Bonnie pulled away again when oxygen became a necessity. "Why do we keep doing this?"

"You haven't figured it out yet…I have a crush on you."

Bonnie pinched his nipple and was only minutely satisfied when he gave a tiny holler of discomfort. Stefan grabbed her by the hair and pulled her over him, stabbing his tongue down her throat and switching their positions.

She tightened her legs around his middle and mustered up all the strength in her body and flipped them over again, whipping her hair to one side with Stefan on his back and she once again straddling him. Pulling away from the kiss, she slapped him.

Surprise and lust flashed on his face as he reached for her again, but Bonnie wrapped her tiny hand around his throat and applied enough pressure that she felt his windpipe dimple.

She reached behind her for his belt unbuckling it while maintaining eye contact with him and with the twitch of her powers, slid his pants and boxer briefs down his legs.

He was impressed.

_This_ was the Bonnie he had been trying to reach for the last three weeks. Not the docile Bonnie who'd take whatever he dished out without reciprocating. She was fun as well, but the Bonnie who rose to the occasion and refused to back down, that had been the Bonnie he had been craving to scratch his itch.

Stefan continued to watch in amazement as Bonnie made her jeans and underwear disintegrate.

He gripped her tightly around the waist, and flipped her wrestle-mania style.

The charm that prevented her aneurysms from being effective dangled from his neck and Bonnie snatched it off but not without it frying her skin. She threw it clean across the room.

Stefan growled, his fangs descend while he looked down at her dangerously. His jaws parted, but Bonnie flipped them over again and impaled herself on Stefan.

Any argument from that point died on his lips.

The sounds of flesh smacking flesh, lips kissing ruthlessly, chunks of hair being ripped out they both climaxed at the same time.

With her head thrown back, hair covering her face it offered Stefan a tantalizing view of her neck.

Bonnie disjoined their bodies and threw herself next to Stefan.

His eyes were closed and if it weren't the small lift to his bottom lip in a smile, she would have thought she succeeded in killing him. But it only took a moment for his eyes to open.

They stared at one another, but with different thoughts floating through their minds.

Bonnie patted his cheek none too gently before uttering, "Go make me a sandwich."

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thanks for reading...again lol.**


	4. Liability

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

_Bonnie stood outside of the Language Arts building—waiting. The rain was steadily coming down in heavy sheets and even though she had the hood to her jacket pulled over her head, she was getting soaked. _

_This conversation had been a long time in coming. In fact it was overdue. Long overdue. She needed to end things with Jeremy because things with Stefan were growing increasingly complicated as time went by. For the last two nights they were together nothing sexual happened. In fact they spent most of the night either studying or making fajitas. It was weird in a domesticated way, and she wasn't entirely sure what this change in their dynamic signified. Maybe Stefan was slowly remembering the man he used to be or maybe he was just changing tactics._

_Or maybe he was getting his kicks from another source._

_Whatever the reason, she was slowly letting her guard down to the point she felt at ease and not constantly on guard._

_But it was time to end things with Jeremy. He deserved better than a two-timing girlfriend. And if she were honest with herself, things between them had never really been solid._

_Bonnie didn't want to trivialize their relationship. But when she stepped on the outside to look in, if this were some drama airing on television, she figured the producers simply would have stuck the two lonely, single people together to placate fans._

_She wouldn't go all out and say she and Jeremy were together because their options had been severely limited._

_He was there for her when her powers were kicking her ass all over Mystic Falls. He was the only one she could be open and honest with because everyone expected her to fix whatever mess Elena had gotten herself into, and not complain about it._

_Bonnie made a martyr of herself. In hindsight she could see she had pushed herself too hard, stretched herself too thin and it left her vulnerable._

_Jeremy had been a nice refuge, but now…_

_Now…she was leaning more towards a psychotic vampire._

_The wiring in her brain must have malfunctioned over the summer while she was with her boring relatives._

_Yep, that explained everything. Because she saw very little action over the summer, it made her yearn for drama, danger, and excitement._

_As much as she may have tooted the: I want normal horn, Bonnie stopped lying to herself days ago._

_She wasn't normal, probably never would be from this point on. And who better to understand that than Stefan?_

_But…she wasn't ending things because Stefan had told her. In fact he found it downright hilarious when she mentioned it in passing that it would be better if she ended things with Jeremy before he found out._

_Stefan had looked disappointed. Bonnie was sure it was because he wanted to get into a jealous brawl or something. How very 1950's._

_Well she certainly couldn't let it come to that because let's be real Stefan would put foot to ass and Jeremy would be a goner._

_The bell finally sounded interrupting the reel replaying over and over in her mind. All day she had rehearsed what she would say to him, but she already made the decision not to tell Jeremy she was leaving him for someone else._

_It was inevitable that assumption would arise._

_It was like a grand exodus as the double doors exploded outward and piles of kids spilled out of the building. Some groaned in protest at the constant rain, while others simply expressed their glee in escaping –in their estimation—teachers from hell._

_Bonnie perked up but then felt dread churn in her belly when she spotted Jeremy. He was talking to a redhead and Bonnie could only hear snatches of their conversation. The both of them were comparing their low test scores._

_Bonnie pushed away from the wall and tapped him on the shoulder. "Jeremy?" _

_He spun around, saw her and smiled but then remembered they weren't exactly speaking, and his smile turned into a look of suspicion and apprehension._

_The redhead stood a little awkwardly behind Jeremy waiting to be either introduced or dismissed._

"_Kate I'll talk to you later," Jeremy said after remembering she was loitering. _

"_Okay," she tried to sound chipper and failed._

_The strained couple walked a little ways until they were standing in the middle of the quad._

"_I'm glad to run into you," Jeremy began when the silence became thick enough to cut. "I was thinking we could go out tonight."_

"_I can't," Bonnie played with her fingers. "This is hard…Jeremy I think we need to take some time apart…like…a break."_

"_Break?" he blinked rapidly._

_A lump was forming in the middle of her throat and her mouth was turning dry. "My schedule is like crazy busy with my AP classes, SAT prep, and the community service I'm doing for my scholarship not to mention the whole Klaus/Mikael situation…I'm feeling really overburdened, and I just don't have the time to make our relationship work. It isn't fair to you when I know you could be out there with someone who has time for you. You deserve someone who's going to put you first."_

"_Bonnie…"_

"_I know this seems like this is coming out of nowhere, but we've barely seen each other since the end of spring."_

"_And that's entirely my fault?" he was incredulous. "I've been trying to spend time with you but you're the one who's always busy."_

"_Yeah, and because of that that's why we need to go our separate ways."_

"_Bon…we've been through so much we owe it to ourselves to see where this can go. Look," he stepped closer and began to rub his hands up and down her arms. Bonnie twisted away from his touch. Real anger flashed on his face._

"_Why are you doing this?" he asked. Bonnie didn't say anything. Then like a light bulb going off over his head. "There's someone else, isn't there?"_

_Bonnie's mouth automatically opened to object, but Jeremy laughed derisively. _

"_Who?"_

"_Jeremy…I've given you my reasons for breaking up."_

"_You love me, Bonnie just the same way I love you."_

"_And it's not enough. I'm tired, Jeremy."_

"_Yeah, and so am I. Tired of your bullshit. Be honest with me because you owe me at least that much. Just tell me there's someone else and I'll let you walk away."_

_Attitude entered her voice and her stance. "You know I'm gotdamn sick and tired of people trying to run my life. I do not want to be in this relationship anymore, nor am I going to get bullied into staying in it. Find someone who's going to be there for you like you deserve. I'm sorry but…I just can't do this anymore."_

_Bonnie turned away from him and got lost in the scattering crowd. _

_Yeah, breaking up was hard to do but she felt relieved that at least one boulder in her life had been removed. _

Three days later…

When the rains stopped a heat wave moved in. For the last three days the temperature had soared to ninety and above. It was so sticky and muggy outside that no one had energy to do anything but sit around and get stuck to their furniture.

The children who mustered up the courage to go outside to play regretted it as they became instantly lethargic and had to drag their tails back to the air conditioned comfort of their middle class American homes.

The only people who seemed to be profiting from the endless heat were ice cream peddlers.

Bonnie stood in front of the wide open front door fanning herself with her hand. Clinks and clanks coming from the basement her caught her attention and she smiled ruefully. She went to go investigate.

Shirtless and sweating Stefan Salvatore tinkered with the air conditioning unit trying to make it work again. The air had kinked out right at mid-day where the heat was the most palpable.

Bonnie padded over to him barefooted and looked over his shoulder.

His hands were covered with dirt and grime. He stared murderously at the unit wanting to rip the whole thing to shreds.

"Did you fix it yet?" she asked knowing full well he hadn't.

"I don't know how to fix this gotdamn thing. I'm not an electrician."

"You've been alive for over a hundred years and you never took any classes to learn how to fix appliances?"

Stefan wiped his hands on a towel. "Do I look like my name is Edward Cullen where I had nothing better to do with my immortality than learn a thousand languages and write piano songs?" He snorted. "I might be good at things, doesn't mean I'm good at everything."

He rose to his feet and turned around to face Bonnie. Even being all sweaty she was still beautiful. Stefan pulled her flush against him and nuzzled her neck.

"I can rub you down with ice cubes. Get you all...wet," he suggested in her ear.

As appealing as that was, Bonnie had other plans for the day.

"You'll have to take a rain check. I have to get ready."

He raised an eyebrow in the air. "For what?"

"There's an awards dinner tonight at the country club. The first Saturday in October the scholarships are dispensed. I'm the recipient of the Duke Ellington Achievement in Music Award. You remember me saying that to you in passing last week?"

"You said a lot of things in passing," he wiggled his eyebrows to which Bonnie rolled her eyes. "So that's tonight? What am I supposed to do?"

Bonnie pointed at the air conditioning unit. "You can find a way to fix it."

"Or you can find a spell to make it work again. What am I a field ox?"

She laughed and then pivoted on her feet to go back upstairs into the stifling heat. It was slightly cooler in the basement.

Bonnie had phoned her dad to let him know the air went out to which he rattled off his American Express card number and told her to call a repairman.

Stefan had been lying around her house so she asked him to look at it. Looking and fixing were two different things, for he had been unsuccessful in getting it to work again.

Not surprisingly he had followed her to her bedroom where he proceeded to wrap his arms around her and suck on her neck. Bonnie allowed his ministrations for a second before wiggling away and disappearing inside the bathroom to turn on the shower.

"Good idea," Stefan said and reached for the fly of his pants. However Bonnie stopped him and shook her head back and forth.

It had taken her not only setting him on fire to get him to calm down sexually, but she may have purposely crushed his feet with her tires. Hey, she did it to prove a point.

"I really need to get ready before my ride gets here."

"Ride?" he dead panned. "What ride?"

Bonnie ignored his question as she stripped, wrapped her towel around her and went into the bathroom.

Stefan followed behind her and made himself comfortable on the double sink.

"Do I know this person who's giving you a ride?"

"Yes, you do very well."

Soon the smell of lavender filled the air. She was using his favorite scented body wash.

"Who is it, Bonnie?"

"My sponsor," Bonnie finally said and then five minutes later emerged from the shower.

Stefan's stare was nonplussing, but it had been something she had gotten used to.

Again he followed her out of the bathroom. He got distracted from his line of questioning as he watched her towel herself dry, lotion herself, put on her underwear, before she disappeared in her closet.

She emerged a few minutes later wearing a peach figure hugging dress that flattered her C cup cleavage. Bonnie reminded Stefan of an Egyptian goddess.

"You're wearing that?" his voice may have been several octaves higher than normal. Bonnie approached him and turned around.

"Yeah. I thought you liked me in tight and skimpy clothing?"

"I do, but for my benefit only."

Bonnie pursed her lips. "Can you zip me up?"

He did as ordered. "Who's your sponsor?"

"Damon," she said and briefly pecked his lips and went over to her bureau to select her jewelry.

Stefan blinked. "Damon? As in my brother Damon? That Damon? He's your sponsor and ride for the evening?"

"Yes," Bonnie answered simply as she stuck in a pair of rose gold earrings through her lobes and followed it with a rose gold wreath necklace.

She held the matching bracelet out to Stefan. He took it wordlessly from her and clasped it on.

"Thank you."

Inside she was laughing. This had been the most rattled she had seen Stefan since this whole ordeal between them began. She could tell he was trying his best to keep his devil may car attitude in place, but inside she was sure he was boiling.

Stefan cleared his throat. It didn't matter to him that Bonnie would be spending the evening with his brother, dressed in that obscenely sexy dress. It didn't matter that Damon was her escort to something he was surprised he hadn't tried to wiggle his way out of.

His expression was impassive, but his tone was practically glacial. "Damon is taking you to a scholarship awards dinner? And he's your sponsor? When did you two become chummy?"

"When we faked my death," Bonnie answered and ruffled her hair. Her curls from earlier had fallen flat thanks to the humidity. She went back into the bathroom to heat up her flat iron. While it was heating up, she began to reapply her makeup.

"Does that bother you?" Bonnie asked.

Stefan shrugged his built shoulders. "No. Why should it? But I mean…Damon isn't known for his altruism."

"No, he's not, but…he was there for me when I needed help raising money for my charity."

"How much did he put up?" Stefan tried to ask as casually as he could.

"Five thousand."

His eyebrows flew into his hairline, while his lips pulled down in the corners. "Five thousand?" he nearly whispered while bobbing his head up and down.

"Believe me, you aren't the only one surprised."

"And ah…what did _you _have to _do_ for that five thousand?"

Bonnie looked at Stefan through the reflection in her mirror and frowned. "If you're insinuating I slept my way to getting that money I'll burn your dick right now.

He held his hands up in surrender. "That's not what I was trying to say at all. I just find this all _strange_ that Damon would cut a check for that amount for a charity. He hates charitable work of any kind."

"He did it to look good in the community. Besides the middle school where I do my community service was in desperate need of instruments and other music equipment. His five thousand plus the money I was able to raise was enough to buy instruments for poverty stricken kids."

Stefan folded his arms over his chest. "You could have come to me."

"You were gone on your little adventure with Klaus at the time," she reminded him unhelpfully.

Ignoring her tone, he continued his inquisition. "So how long is this thing supposed to last?"

"It should be over no later than nine."

"Make sure he has you back here by nine thirty."

Bonnie smirked but it lacked humor and warmth. "Is that an order?" she asked while running the flat iron through her hair to get it pin straight.

"I don't trust Damon especially not with a beautiful woman."

"Concerned for my honor, I should be happy about that, right?"

"Face it, Bonnie you look good enough to eat."

"Yep, I can't disagree with you on that."

Stefan growled, pushed away from the wall and flashed behind Bonnie. Taking the flat iron out of her hands and putting it on the sink, he wrapped his arms around her middle and squeezed her.

"He's a dead man if he touches you."

"He's already a dead man."

"I'm serious, Bonnie."

She stared at him in the mirror and saw the fury lining his eyes. "You're forgetting he's into Elena."

"Doesn't matter who he's into. Damon has been known to make pit stops even while he's chasing after someone."

"What makes you think I'd even fall for his crap?"

Stefan sighed and rested his chin on her shoulder. "He can be charming when he wants to be."

"I'm already wrapped up into one Salvatore. I'm not looking to make this into a triangle or square if you factor in Elena."

Stefan spun her around so they could face one another. He captured her lips in a kiss that was chaste at first before he deepened it by slipping his icy tongue in her mouth. Bonnie sighed and ran her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck.

It didn't take long before she felt Little "Big" Stefan poking her in the belly. She slipped a hand between them and massaged him through his jeans.

Stefan groaned and tightened his arms around her.

Suddenly the door bell sounded. "Shoot." Bonnie unwrapped Stefan's arms from around her and pranced around looking for her shoes and purse.

"I'll be back later," she said to the dark vampire and pressed an urgent kiss to his lips.

Stefan remained hidden as Bonnie traipsed down the stairs to answer the front door.

Standing on the other side, wearing his customary half-smirk, cyan eyes flashing with naughty intentions and dressed in head-to-toe black despite the heat was Damon Salvatore.

He made it no secret he was checking Bonnie out from the top of her head to the bottom of her peep-toe heels. His smile widened.

"_Finally_. I thought I was going to melt out here," he said without preamble.

His declaration made Bonnie narrow her eyes at him.

"You look gorgeous," he quickly complimented.

Bonnie shrugged a shoulder. "And you don't look entirely like a corpse today."

Damon smirked again and waited patiently on the porch while Bonnie closed and locked her door.

He took her by the hand to help her down the steps since her dress looked too tight and constrictive for her to navigate them unassisted.

Bonnie stumbled as she stared at the car waiting at the curb.

"I can't get into that wearing this," she squeaked.

Damon brought his attention to his Ferrari.

"Why must you make everything so damn complicated?" he said before picking her up bridal style. Taken completely by surprise, Bonnie squealed.

Somehow Damon was able to insert her into the low car without making things awkward between them. But his chin may have "accidentally" grazed the top of her boob when he sat her in the passenger seat. Bonnie popped him on the shoulder.

He winked at her before tearing off down the road.

Stefan sucked up his losses and made his way back to the boardinghouse. There was no way he was going to sit up in Bonnie's hot house when there was air conditioning at his own pad.

Unfortunately Elena was there.

Stefan forced himself to talk to her until he got bored half-way through their conversation and he walked off without giving an explanation.

That chick could be worse than a broken record, Stefan said to himself as he barricaded in his room. And would it be such a bad thing if he put her head through a wall?

He flounced backwards on the bed and thought why wasn't there a television in his room. Come to think of it there wasn't a single television in the entire mansion.

He and his decrepit brother were lacking behind the times.

With no television to numb his mind and there was no WAY he was going back downstairs just to hear Elena complain in his ear or whine about why he won't try to act human, Stefan figured the night shouldn't be wasted just because _Damon _was Bonnie's eye candy for the evening.

So rising from the bed and heading over to his closet he eyed his choices. Unsurprisingly his eyes kept drifting to his formal wear, but he'd force his eyes away to look at his casual clothing options. Blood was murder to get out of a designer shirt.

No, he wasn't going to give into the temptation to spy on Bonnie and Damon. He and Bonnie weren't an item. She was a free agent, just like he was, and he was in no mood to take on the responsibilities involved with being some girl's boyfriend. If they decided to put a label on what they had, that meant she'd expect him to act a certain way, but more importantly talk about his _feelings._

_Really, dumb ass, _his mind taunted. _Is that why you're climbing up the walls on edge because it has nothing to do with the fact the girl you've been f*cking is currently with your brother? _

But Stefan had an argument for that. _She's with me. She doesn't even like Damon._

_Yeah, Elena didn't like Damon either but now look where they are. Practically living together like man and wife._

_Bonnie tried to kill Damon. All Elena ever tried to do was save him and change him._

_But you know what they say, Stefan, when you hate someone so much it can turn into love._

_Shut the f*ck up before I strangle you!_

His inner voice laughed. _So you're going to commit suicide, then?_

Stefan growled and shook his head. He was being ridiculous.

_It's not ridiculous to want to protect your mate._

_Bonnie is not my mate…we're mating—yes, but she's not my MATE!_

_So if she screwed your brother you wouldn't bat an eyelash?_

Silence.

Stefan's eye twitched, and his voice said. _Gotchu bitch! _

Stefan smacked himself in the head and then reached for whatever his handed landed on in his closet. He dressed almost blindly and was speeding down the stairs, and had reached the door but then froze.

_Stop Stefan, and think about what you're doing. If you charge over there your actions will say you _are_ a jealous boyfriend. Either stay here, go out and get a bite to eat, or set something ablaze, but do not under ANY circumstances go to that awards dinner._

Elena appeared at the foot of the stairs. "Stefan, are you going out?"

"Yeah. I'll be back later."

Bonnie stood behind the microphone belting the first note of Christina's Aguilera's rendition of _Something's Got A Hold on Me_. She had been voted by her peers to open the evening's event by wowing the crowd with her powerful voice for it was the reason why she won Duke Ellington's Achievement in Music Award.

Not many people knew she could sing. So to see Damon recording her performance on his iPhone was an experience all in itself.

Stefan hid in the shadows and watched the looks Bonnie and Damon traded while she performed. He did NOT like the way her eyes would kind of twinkle in his older brother's direction as she sang that damn song! He couldn't STAND it when Damon would whistle and cat-call, and wink at Bonnie. And he certainly felt his blood pressure rise as Bonnie blushed at all the stupid things his brother did to make the crowd split their attention between him and Bonnie.

His hand had gripped the tree he was hiding behind so hard that splinters injected into his flesh.

He wasn't jealous. Nope. This wasn't jealously. Bonnie and Damon could fly to Vegas and get married in a drive-thru church for all he cared. He was just using her. Using her to keep his own boredom at bay. That was it! That was all!

Once Bonnie was done and she took her bow and headed off stage, she almost ran back to Damon. The two shared a brief hug and Damon leaned down to kiss both of her cheeks.

Incensed, Stefan's mind slipped into predator mode and he imagined inoculating Damon with just the right amount of vervain, not to kill him outright, but to keep him unconscious long enough to drive to The Everglades. Once there, he'd hang him upside down, slit his wrists, bleed him—not enough to kill him but enough to leave him severely weakened and then throw his desiccated body in a swamp, fire up a cigar and wait for the gators make mince meat out of his shriveled ass.

When he pulled himself from his little fantasy Bonnie and Damon were chatting while enjoying the catered meal. Of course he had to listen into their conversation.

"Stop stealing my shrimp, hommes," Bonnie said as she pushed Damon's elbow with her own.

"I paid five thousand dollars for this shrimp, Judgey. Learn how to share."

"Oh, whatever," she laughed.

"You know I have to say I'm impressed with your set of pipes. Where did that come from all of a sudden?"

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. Singing came to her like a fish knowing how to swim. It wasn't a talent she got a lot of time to develop, but she sung whenever she could.

"My grandmother had a great singing voice. We used to sing together all the time. I guess I inherited my pipes from her." Pause. "I want to thank you, Damon as much as it pains me to say it. You really came through for me."

"Did you doubt I would?"

"Honestly…yeah. You've always had the tenacity of a pit bull when it comes to some cause you've taken up. Save Elena. Save Stefan. While everything else gets pushed to the back burner."

"It never stops," Damon drew out his words as he decapitated a shrimp with his fork. "But we're…friends…I couldn't let you embarrass yourself."

"Thank you so much," Bonnie replied flippantly and smirked.

Damon chuckled, and wiped his mouth. "We should get out there."

"Out where?"

"The dance floor, doofus. Do you know how many calories shrimp contain? You need to work it off before you get soft around the middle."

Bonnie felt her cheeks warm because she was thinking of another exercise routine that kept the fat off.

Damon extended his hand and Bonnie accepted it. But as soon as they rose from their seats, the organizer of the event, Ms. Fields who was also the Senior Academic Advisor, bombarded them with a photographer.

"Bonnie, Mr. Salvatore can we bother you for a photo op? We're composing an album to commemorate the evening."

"Sure," Damon wrapped an arm around Bonnie pulling her closer as he grinned at the camera.

Bonnie tempered herself and stretched her lips into a smile.

"I got it," the photographer announced while he looked at the image on his LCD screen.

Not long after, Stefan made his move closer to the building, walked right through the corridor moving too swift to be noticed by the sleeping security guard.

Just as he rounded the corner he bypassed a table that held the photo printouts. He retraced his steps and spotted the photo of Bonnie and his brother.

Even he had to admit they looked good together. Bonnie was just the right height to compliment Damon's average stature and their smirks, with Damon's lips pulled to the left, Bonnie's to the right, they formed the perfect smile.

He sat the picture down and felt irritated. He didn't feel anything for Bonnie. What was transpiring between them was chemical, physical, and sometimes primal. He had lost the capacity to feel compassion for others, love, friendship, warmth. Those were all phantom emotions that were completely void, but as he gazed between the picture of Bonnie and Damon and watching them interact on the dance floor, Stefan felt something uncomfortable rumbling in his blood.

It was time to search and destroy.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thank you for reading and leaving your thoughts. Love you!**


	5. Great Balls of Fire

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**

When Stefan looked over at Bonnie and Damon again, the picture began to fade, shift, take on another meaning. They were still very much dancing, but Damon's hands were no longer respectively around Bonnie's waist. They had traveled upward to grip the material surrounding her zipper and then with those same hands he began to pull the material apart.

Bonnie moaned loudly as if being relieved from a tight corset as she crushed her lips against Damon's. Her hands weren't idle either. They ripped his shirt clean down the middle, little tiny buttons scattering all over the polished wood floors.

Their tongues circled one another before Damon captured her lips again, while Bonnie reached for his pants to unzip them.

Stefan couldn't contain the growl that came up from his belly and got lodged in his throat.

He saw red.

He took one step in their direction when something stepped into his pathway.

He blinked and his vision cleared and he came face-to-face with a pair of obsidian eyes.

It was the wolf—no excuse me—wolf/vampire hybrid.

Stefan sighed impatiently.

Tyler pursed his lips together as he folded his arms over his chest. "What are you doing here, Stefan?"

"I should be asking you that. Isn't this an _academic _awards dinner?" he snickered.

Tyler's eyes narrowed at the implication he was nothing more than a dumb jock.

"You look like you have murder on your mind, Stef. Go home."

Anger with the power of lava exploding from a volcano rushed through Stefan as he took a step closer to the hybrid.

"Yeah, and if I don't what are you going to do about it? I go where I want." He shoved Tyler.

The jock's eyes flashed tawny in color before Tyler took a deep breath to calm the raging storm that was boiling in his own blood.

"I'm not going to tell you again, Stefan. Carry your ass out of here before I do it for you."

Back inside the ballroom, Damon heard arguing and tuned his hearing to it. Inwardly he sighed and pulled away from Bonnie.

"What's wrong?" she immediately went on alert.

Not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to the fight his idiot brother was trying to bait Tyler into, he flashed his cinematic smile in Bonnie's direction.

"Stefan is here looking to say hi. Keep the crowd busy, will ya?"

Her heart instantly began to pound in her ribcage. "Stefan?"

Damon didn't answer her question as he briskly walked towards the sound of the impending scuffle.

Tyler got right in Stefan's face, breathing hard through his nostrils. "Dude, you _do not _want to mess with me."

Stefan smirked. "Oh, yeah and why's that pretty boy?" he smacked him.

Outraged, Tyler balled his hand into a fist and was two seconds from throwing it when he heard Damon approaching.

"Okay, kids let's break this up before you alert the local authorities to your cat fight."

Tyler pointed a finger in Stefan's direction. "His ass is asking for it."

Damon didn't refute the truth to Tyler's proclamation. Instead he turned to his brother, bracing a hand on his shoulder to keep him from charging after Tyler.

Both brothers had already been bitten by werewolves. They weren't sure what a bite from a hybrid would do to them and Damon, for one, wasn't trying to find out. Apparently his brother had missed the memo that irritating a hybrid could have dire consequences. To Stefan, this was probably nothing more than child's play. However, Damon was _not _going to put himself in the middle to get gnawed on again. Been there, done that, got the fang marks to prove it.

"Stefan I'm not going to waste my breath asking why you're here. But you need to leave."

"You're not my father, Damon."

"And if I were I'd put you over my knee. You need a major time out."

Stefan pushed Damon's hand off his shoulder. "Don't you f*cking touch me!"

"Look, I'm all for making you into an only child, Damon," Tyler chimed in.

Approaching footsteps disrupted the trio. "Is there a problem gentleman?" the rent-a-cop asked, reaching for the radio clasped to his belt.

Stefan's eyes faded to red, his fangs came out. "There is now," he declared before charging the guard and chomping down on the side of his neck.

Damon was on Stefan in a minute and ruthlessly pulled him off the guard unintentionally causing the man more pain since Stefan was feeding, he took a substantial amount of flesh and muscle with him. Stefan spat out the excess, eyes enraged and flew after Damon, who backhanded his little brother. Damon spotted an American flag hanging from a wooden pole attached to the wall. Speeding over, he grabbed it and within a single eye blink plunged it in Stefan's intestines.

He growled naturally as he bent over awkwardly to prevent Damon from ramming it clean through him.

Calmly Damon looked over at Tyler who was barely resisting his own lust to go after the guard and finish him off.

"Get Bonnie and get her out of here!" he ordered the teen wolf. When he saw that Tyler made no move to do as he said but slowly inched his way to the unconscious guard, Damon yelled. "Now! Tyler before I have to put you down, too!"

"NO!" Stefan roared and attempted to pull the makeshift stake out of him that Damon still had a firm hand on, keeping it in place. Stefan tried to pull himself off it, but Damon grabbed him by the back of the neck and forced him forward. Stefan's eyes rolled into the back of his head as the pole slipped another inch in his stomach. The pain was beyond excruciating.

Tyler, who finally managed to pull himself out his haze, looked over at the brothers. He figured Damon didn't need any backup so he took off down the corridor to do as Damon ordered.

With the wolf gone, Damon knew he had to move fast—get rid of the guard before they were stumbled upon and find some nice dirty cellar to throw Stefan into.

"You're making me act like a responsible adult, Stefan. I don't like it."

"F*ck you!"

"They have laws against that kind of stuff, Steffy Webby. Plus I don't think you can handle all this."

Stefan cackled and tried his best to stand to his full height, but Damon's grip was too tight and the wood inside of him weakened him. There was very little he could do.

However he caught movement in his peripheral vision and saw Tyler and Bonnie speaking in rushed tones before he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her away.

Damon awkwardly looked over his shoulder to see what it was that held his brother's fascination.

"Hurts doesn't it?" Damon asked rhetorically before he punched Stefan's lights out.

II

Riding shot gun in Tyler's mom's Range Rover, Bonnie sat with her arms folded over her chest as she stared petulantly out the windshield.

"Why won't you tell me what happened with Damon and Stefan?"

"Because I think you know, Bonnie," he replied almost bitterly. "Seriously I wouldn't be sad if Damon just went ahead and killed Stefan. He's a douche."

"Yeah?" Bonnie mumbled sarcastically. "And you've always been an upstanding gentleman yourself."

Tyler took his eyes off the road to stare incredulously at Bonnie. "I think I need to have my ears checked but it sounds like you're trying to defend Stefan and his insanity. Not Miss Self-Righteous Police who wants everyone to hold hands and sing Kumbaya."

"It's not like that."

Tyler snorted and blew through a stop sign. "Really? So what's it like then? Don't tell me you've fallen for Elena's bullcrap ideology that Stefan can be saved, that there's some good left in him. Get real."

Bonnie twisted in her seat to face Tyler. "If you were in his shoes would you want us to put you down like some rabid animal? Or would you want us to do everything in our power to bring you back?"

"Look, I see what you're saying, but at the end of the day I know the danger I pose to people. You can't risk it."

"Ty…"

"Bonnie…Stefan is _gone_. You and everyone else are going to have to accept that."

Bonnie shook her head in denial and sat back in the seat. She knew Stefan wasn't beyond saving. She had seen parts of him that reminded her of the old Stefan, the Stefan who coveted his humanity like it was lost treasure. He could be redeemed. She might not be the person to do it, but she could be a starting point. Everyone just had to have faith that it could be done. But right now, Bonnie was alone in her faith walk.

Yet she conceded she had other reasons for wanting to help Stefan. Despite how he treated her like she was a blow up doll, when they weren't sexing each other, they talked. Yeah, Stefan was probably just yanking her chain, trying to humor her, but the fact that he even bothered to put in _that _much effort proved he wasn't a total lost cause.

They grew quiet.

Tyler looked over at Bonnie who was nibbling on a corner of her lip. He gently placed his hand on her knee.

She jumped but then relaxed against his touch.

"He's your friend, I know. And you want to help him. That's admirable. But at the same time you have to face the facts."

"I don't want to talk about Stefan anymore."

Tyler grew quiet. "Fair enough." Pause. "So are you still up for going to the awards after party at The Grille? Caroline will castrate me if I don't show."

She shrugged her shoulders.

Being around people was the last thing Bonnie actually wanted to do, but she figured she would only spend the rest of the night locked away in her room worrying about Stefan. Since no one knew about their "arrangement" there was no point to arousing suspicion by flitting around Damon grilling him for details. She was secure in the knowledge that Damon wouldn't kill Stefan. Call it their brotherly bond or the fact that without his little brother around to keep him in check, Damon wouldn't know how to survive. But still, she was worried for both of them.

Stefan wouldn't shed a tear if he plunged a stake through Damon's heart. He'd probably wipe his hands clean and go about his business.

Yet Damon had always been good about self-preservation even when he acted impulsively. If that made sense.

They were parked outside of her house once she pulled away from her thoughts.

"Go change," Tyler said. "I'll wait here and keep watch."

"All right." She hopped out of the truck and tried not to look around.

Ten minutes later she walked out of her house, locking the door, dressed in a white mini dress and heels.

When Bonnie turned around she caught a shadowy figure walking up her sidewalk. Tyler was busy yapping on his cell phone, more than likely trying to calm down a rattled Caroline because they were running slightly behind schedule.

When the moon broke through a patch of clouds and illuminated the area, Bonnie's breath caught in her chest.

Stefan strolled up to her wearing a snug shirt, tight jeans, hair perfectly styled, his face complete stone.

They met halfway. His eyes didn't check her out in her dress which she considered quite odd. Instead his eyes stared almost accusingly at her.

"First Damon…now Tyler," he shook his head back and forth like he was disappointed. "Are you trying to go through every single loser in this town?"

The urge to slap him was great. Very great. So great in fact that her hand trembled. "Don't go there with me, asshole. And are _you_ included on that list?"

Stefan's jaw ticked. Bonnie felt vindicated.

"What were you doing at the awards dinner?"

"I stopped by for a bite to eat," he replied flippantly.

"Bonnie!" Tyler shouted and had gotten out of the truck.

Stefan turned to smirk at him over his shoulder. Bonnie peered around Tyler and shook her head. "I got this, Ty. Start the truck."

Tyler hesitated but then slipped back in the truck. However he left the door ajar just in case he'd have to bolt to Bonnie's side and kick Stefan in the balls or something.

The witch and the vampire locked eyes again. Stefan stepped closer and inhaled her scent. His mouth watered.

"Stefan did you hurt someone?" Bonnie went back to her line of questioning. "But more importantly where's Damon?"

He shrugged. "He's around."

"In pieces?"

Stefan laughed.

"That song you were singing," Stefan changed the topic, "were you singing it _to _Damon?"

Bonnie's eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out where Stefan was going with this and why it appeared he cared or was bothered by the fact she had paid someone else attention.

"I wasn't singing the song to him."

"But…"

"You were spying on me again."

Stefan was smart enough to know it wasn't a question but a statement of fact. He shrugged a shoulder.

"I was bored."

Bonnie snorted and planted a hand on her hip. "I was singing the song while looking at Damon to help with my nerves, but…I was _thinking _about someone else."

Stefan lost an eyebrow to his hairline. He stepped closer to Bonnie and could feel her body heat pound against his icy skin.

As mad and disappointed in whatever his actions may have been tonight as she should be, Bonnie found herself drifting into whatever magic enveloped her when she was around Stefan. His switch wasn't the only one that could be flipped easily.

He growled softly. "Who were you thinking of?"

Bonnie too had shifted closer to Stefan, so close that they practically melted together. But neither made a move to physically touch the other.

Tyler, all the while observed them curiously from the driver seat of the SUV. WTF?

"I think you know," she answered breathlessly. Stefan had bent his knees a little so he could be more evenly matched in height with Bonnie. His lips lingered over hers and he was about to dive in when a blaring horn interrupted their moment.

"I'm going to enjoy pulling his claws off with pliers," Stefan vowed.

"I have to go."

"Where?"

"The Grill."

Bonnie proceeded to walk around Stefan, but he detained her. "I'm coming after you."

"I certainly hope so," she replied saucily and her eyes lingered on Stefan's lips and wondered if it would be smart to sneak a kiss. She didn't, but walked to the SUV, and climbed in.

Tyler stomped down on the accelerator making the truck shoot down the street like a bullet.

"What was that, Bonnie?" Tyler resumed his questioning with a new line of questions.

She knew there was no point to playing stupid so she answered, "What do you mean?" Bonnie knew she was being a coward because sometimes it just came naturally to act dumber than you really were.

"Don't give me that crap. I'm talking about the fact you were almost sucking face with Stefan? So that's why you think he can be saved. How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long have you two…been doing whatever it is you've been doing?"

"That's none of your business," she said despite the fact her heart was bouncing around her chest. How long had she wanted to open up to someone about what she and Stefan had been doing, and finally get that monkey off her back? Here was her golden opportunity to spill her guts, but she wanted to pretend that nothing was going on.

"Elena is going to whip your ass when she finds out about this," he chuckled ruefully.

Bonnie turned thunderous eyes on Tyler. "And how would she find out?" she said through clenched teeth. "Now don't you turn into the self-righteous police on me, Ty. When you start to go that route just remind yourself of how you and Caroline got together."

_Low blow_, Tyler thought but unfortunately Bonnie had a point. Caroline was still kind of involved with Matt when he caught her scent and began to chase after her panties.

"I don't want to say Stefan is using you, Bon…"

"So don't."

"But…"

"I don't want to hear any buts, Tyler. What's going on between Stefan and me is personal and private. And…nothing started between us while he was with Elena. And she's not innocent in all of this either."

"You're right…none of us can afford to throw stones. I went after my best friend's girl. Elena is in deep like with her ex-boyfriend's brother…you…" he stopped when he felt Bonnie's eyes boring into him daring him to finish that sentence.

Luckily he didn't have to since they were pulling into Mystic Grille parking lot.

They climbed out of the car and were walking side by side when Bonnie grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Don't say anything, not even to Caroline. I mean it Tyler. I'm going to tell Elena…one day because she deserves to know. But _I _want to be the one to tell her, understand?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah. I hear you. I won't say anything to Caroline. But…you might want to hurry up because the other day, when Stefan asked you to go shopping…Caroline picked up on the fact he was staring at you like he wanted to do you right there in the quad. A seed has already been planted, Bon, and I'm not sure how much time you got left before everything blows up in your face."

_Great_, Bonnie thought.

The inside of the restaurant was packed with gyrating high schoolers. A few local patrons were sprinkled throughout probably regretting not staying in and cooking. They found it immensely difficult to enjoy their meal thanks to the excess noise teenagers generally made.

Bonnie and Tyler strolled in and walked over to their friends. She was greeted with a mix of hugs, kisses on the cheek, and waves. Caroline had been so enthusiastic over Bonnie's achievement that she swept the tiny girl off her feet and spun her around, getting her delightedly dizzy.

After her conversation with Tyler, Bonnie found it more difficult to converse with Elena. It was easier when no one knew her secret. And though Tyler currently had his attention focused on Caroline's boobs, she couldn't escape the feeling that he was listening in on her conversation with Elena-smirking.

So this is how people felt when she judged them?

"Where are the drinks?" Bonnie asked Elena. The tall brunette held out her cup to Bonnie who took it and easily smashed it.

It was beer. Bonnie hated beer but tonight she'd make it her best friend if she had to.

* * *

It was best to get tanked, sloshed, stumble around in her heels than take note of the fact Stefan was there, sitting at a booth in the far back, flirting with a waitress.

So Bonnie occupied herself by singing along to a sped up version of Katy Perry's ET. She stood up against a pool table where Jeremy and Matt were engaged in a heated game.

She felt a breeze to her left and casually leaning against the table was Damon.

The black button down he wore to dinner had been exchanged for a black v-neck short sleeve shirt, black jeans, and his Durango boots.

"You're alive," Bonnie giggled and slid on the pool table. Her actions shook the balls to which Matt and Jeremy complained.

Damon looked over at Bonnie. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Clearly not enough if I'm only seeing one of you," she giggled again and held out her cup to him.

Damon accepted it, sniffed what it was before taking a sip.

Both of them turned their attention to Stefan.

"How long has he been here?" Damon asked.

"About an hour. What happened back at the club?"

Damon only believed in coloring the truth when it benefited him. Yet having another pair of eyes on his brother would be helpful because he couldn't be everywhere at once.

"Stefan was up to his old tricks. Tried to bait Tyler into a fight, took a bite out of the pseudo security guard, and I had to literally stick it to him. Unfortunately he didn't stay out long enough for me to lock him up."

Bonnie felt sick. "Is the security guard…dead?"

Damon shook his head. "He lost a lot of blood but I dumped him outside of the hospital in time." He smirked at Bonnie. "His story for what happened to him: He went down to the basement and lost a fight with a _big _rat."

Bonnie said nothing to this. Only brought her attention back to Stefan who was having himself a jolly good time getting the waitress all worked up. Unintentionally her fingernails bit into the wood railing of the pool table.

"I think my brother was there because you were there. Is he stalking you, Bonnie?"

There was no teasing lilt to his voice. Damon was being dead serious.

"I can handle him, Damon."

"I have no doubt that you can, but that wasn't what I asked you. Is he stalking you?"

Perfect timing Bonnie thought as she saw Elena weaving her way through the crowd over to them.

"Damon…did you know that Stefan's here?" she asked when she was in range.

Damon pulled his attention off Bonnie's tense face. "Yes, Elena. I'm looking right at him."

"Don't you think we should do something? He's been talking to that waitress for the last twenty minutes."

Damon groaned before pulling himself to his full height. "What would you have me do?" he asked while crossing over to stand closer to Elena.

Elena flushed for a second, and Bonnie noticed her breathing changed like she was seconds from having an asthma attack. Funny, but Bonnie couldn't recall if Elena _ever _behaved that way with Stefan, not even when they first met.

Bonnie thought, someone get this chick an inhaler.

"I-I don't know."

Damon smirked. "Well when you figure that out, I'll be right here keeping Bonnie company."

Elena blinked several times as if trying to awaken from a spell. She looked between Damon and Bonnie before spinning on her heels.

At that, Damon whipped out his cell. "Rick you got incoming," he texted and then smirked again.

Across the room, at the booth, the waitress Mindy, that's what her name tag read, stared at Stefan with stars in her eyes. But who the hell named their child Mindy? Stefan didn't care. He merely stared at her- pupils dilating.

"Don't you want to dance, Mindy?"

Her face went blank for a moment before she responded. "I'd love to."

Stefan stretched out his hand to which Mindy accepted it eagerly. The two made their way to the impromptu dance floor.

Stefan swung her in front of him and eyed her neck. "Don't you want to unbutton your top so I can have better access to your neck? Just the top three buttons will do."

"I'd love to."

His smile became cynical as he watched Mindy flick the buttons open on her shirt. He had also compelled her to answer all of his questions by saying "I'd love to."

Back over to Bonnie and Damon. "What's he doing?" the elder Salvatore said aloud as he watched the waitress begin to unbutton her shirt.

"If you were going to throw a wrench in his plan now would be the time to do it," Bonnie advised as she jumped down from the edge of the table.

Matt and Jeremy had moved off to another table when it became obvious Bonnie and Damon weren't going to vacate anytime soon.

"While I do that, why don't you create a diversion?"

Plan in motion Bonnie headed over to the DJ booth. She spoke rapidly to him and grabbed the mike.

Damon had flashed over to Stefan and stood behind the waitress.

"What are you doing, brother?"

Stefan looked around Mindy. "Has living with Elena made you forget what it means to be a vampire? I know you haven't tapped that ass yet so I know you aren't suppressing your nature for her benefit. To make her happy. We aren't _human, _Damon. We never can be. Not ever again so I'm going to enjoy my immortality. And haven't you always said vampirism was wasted on me?" He kissed Mindy's neck. "I'm making up for lost time."

"I guess my warning was too subtle earlier, Stefan…"

"Hey…why don't we have a threesome," the younger Salvatore suggested. He looked at Mindy. "What do you say, Mindy?"

"I'd love to."

"Ah, that never gets old." To Damon he said, "She's game. What about you?"

Damon couldn't believe he was actually going to say this, but his brother was really sick in the head, majorly twisted, and actually put his own acts of debauchery to shame.

"Hi guys!" Bonnie spoke into the microphone. She had managed to break Stefan's attention for a tenth of a second before he looked back at Damon.

The crowd cheered and clapped.

"So I was thinking I could sing a song for you guys. Would you like that?"

The crowd got louder.

Bonnie nodded her head at the DJ to fire up the track. "Love on Top" by Beyonce began streaming from the speakers.

Stefan's focus was split between Bonnie's singing and the fact his big brother was trying to ruin his fun yet again. This would make for the second time in one night that Damon stepped in his way. He'd have fun wiping the floor with his pretty face.

Stefan looked Mindy deeply in the eye. "Go away."

She walked off like a zombie.

With her gone, Stefan stepped closer to Damon.

"You used to enjoy slapping me around when I got in the way of your plans. Now it's time for you to taste your own medicine."

Damon expected Stefan to lash out, punch him, gouge his eyes with his thumbs, but his brother merely ghosted from the restaurant.

Damon took off after him, and came to a stop in the parking lot. Stefan was leaning casually against his 1967 Chevy Camaro.

From his back pocket Stefan retrieved a lighter, lit it, opened up the gas tank, tossed it inside, and then jumped backwards in the air like a flying squirrel.

"You gotdamn bastard!" Damon yelled just seconds before his car exploded catapulting off the pavement some seven feet in the air in a ball of fire and smoke.

Naturally the party was over after that point.

* * *

Her house was a sauna by the time she returned home. Bonnie had thrown open all the windows, turned on the dusty ceiling fans, and dressed very lightly for bed in a short cerulean lace and satin nightgown.

The night ended with a bang quite literally. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact Stefan blew up Damon's car. And naturally to pay his brother back, Damon wrapped Stefan's cute burgundy Porsche around several trees.

She would never understand those two.

Damon, Elena, and Alaric had called for an emergency meeting tomorrow night and she was expected to be there and was instructed to bring her grimoire.

Bonnie knew an intervention was needed but at the same time she was apprehensive about going. Stefan's madness was escalating and a lot of people stood to get hurt if something wasn't done and fast. She wasn't sure what the group's plan would be and how much of a factor she'd play in it, but her conscience was telling her it was time to put her hormones aside and think of the safety of her friends and the people of Mystic Falls.

But a large part of her still held out hope Stefan could be redeemed.

She had fallen asleep around two in the morning but was aroused from sleep because she was getting cold.

Moving against something that was far too hard to be her bed, Bonnie peeled her eyes open and was greeted to the sight of Stefan's bare chest.

He had one arm wrapped around her waist while the other played with her ear.

"You're awake."

"You blew up Damon's car," was her greeting.

"He can get another one."

"That's not the point, Stefan. You can't go around destroying property. You're beginning to draw unnecessary attention to yourself," she admonished.

"I'm stunning, Bonnie. I draw attention everywhere I go."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and tried to roll off his chest, but Stefan wouldn't let her go. "Get out of my room."

Stefan arched his eyebrows. "What? It's the truth."

She repeated, "Get out of my room."

"We're back at that I see," Stefan was exasperated.

"I'm serious. You hurt that guard."

"I didn't kill him."

"Doesn't matter. You tried to pick a fight with Tyler and you got into with Damon—which isn't unusual but it's old."

"Yeah, did Damon tell you he skewered me with a flag pole?"

"You deserved it. He was trying to stop you."

"Oh, so it's okay for everyone to do what they want to me, but I can't do anything in return? Talk about your double standards."

"This isn't about double standards. You were acting a fool, Stefan. You _can _control your impulses. I know you can. Now…get out of my room."

He shook his head. "Only if you come with me."

Bonnie looked aghast. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm seconds from exposing this whole thing, and ending it in the same breath."

Stefan ran his hand through his hair wanting to pull it out. "So? It's about time everyone knew about us anyways. I mean, you know I love sneaking around like a serial killer but…I want to be able to just walk over to you and shove my tongue down your throat without hearing any objections about it."

"You're a pig."

"Oink-oink, baby, oink-oink."

She didn't want to but she let a tiny little chuckle escape. Stefan grinned. He finally loosened his hold on her.

"There's some place I want to show you," his tone had softened.

"And you have to show me _now?_"

"Now's the perfect time. And there's no school tomorrow. Come on."

Bonnie sighed and scooted to the edge of the bed to climb out of it. "Let me change."

"No, what you have on is fine."

Stefan grabbed her by the hand, scaled down the side of her house and to her surprise waiting in the driveway was a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Stefan didn't hand her a helmet but he did hand her a backpack which Bonnie slung over her shoulders.

"Hold on tight," Stefan said as he roared the bike to life and ripped through her neighborhood like he was Ghost Rider.

The feel of the motorcycle humming between her legs, her hair flying behind her like a banner, her arms and legs tight around Stefan was enough to get her going. But Bonnie controlled herself.

Approximately twenty minutes later they pulled up to the woods. So this is what he wanted to show me, Bonnie thought as Stefan cut the engine to the bike, caught her hand and assisted her from the bike. He scooped her up and flashed his way to an area that was overgrown with bushes and trees but she could hear the sound of water.

Stefan sat her down near the edge of a body of water. It was a lagoon, the surface decorated with lily pads, while cattails ran around the perimeter of the almost kidney shaped pond.

"Oh, wow," Bonnie drawled as she took in the serenity of the land before her. While she was busy gazing, Stefan slipped the backpack off her shoulders. Out he pulled a blanket which he laid on the ground, a bottle of wine, and something else.

A ring box.

"Bonnie."

She looked at him, at his amazing sparkling hazel gray eyes and smiled. When she noticed he was clutching something in his hands, her eyes widened to astronomical proportions.

"Relax I'm not about to propose," he laughed and then sobered. Bonnie breathed out a heavy sigh of relief.

"I did a lot of shitty things tonight and I want to redeem myself so I have something for you," he peeled back the hood of the box to reveal a lapis lazuli signet ring similar to Caroline's, but there in the middle of the gilt work was the letter B.

"Are you…are you going to try to turn me?"

"It's not a day walking ring. I have no plans to turn you…yet."

Her expression was reproachful to which Stefan shook his head to say forget what I just said. "Here, try it on."

Bonnie said nothing as Stefan took the ring out of the box and slid it on the middle finger of her right hand. She promptly held up the digit to him smiling brightly.

"It's a perfect fit," she said and then gazed at the ring. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She suddenly felt shy. "So does this mean we're like going steady or something?"

Bonnie chuckled at Stefan's horrified expression.

"How bout we just settle for main squeeze or friends with benefits."

"I prefer main squeeze."

"Good." Stefan grabbed her, crushing her to his body and dove for her lips. She met him with equal expectation and it wasn't long before his clever fingers were pulling down the straps of her night gown.

Stefan trailed kissed along her neck, taking playful bites at her clavicle before dipping his head even lower to tease her skin.

Bonnie threw her head back, her eyes were pierced closed. The tingling sensation she felt bloom in her chest instantly was diverted to her special nub hidden amongst a patch of curls.

His lips had traveled the same path of her night gown and it wasn't long before Stefan was on his knees teasing her with kisses.

But Bonnie hoisted him up, pressed her mouth over his and unzipped his jeans. He quickly kicked them off.

"I was thinking," he pulled away breathing deep and heavy, "we could take a swim."

"The swim can wait."

"I'm sure it can." Stefan growled and with great reluctance pulled away. Bonnie pouted. He smiled before pecking her lips.

"Come on," he said, taking her by the hand and leading her closer to the water.

Bonnie hesitated. "Wait, I want to take my ring off. I don't want to lose it."

"Good idea," and Stefan quickly followed suit, twisting his ring off.

"Stefan…?" she didn't think it was smart for him to be without his ring for any reason. "Maybe you should keep yours on."

"I'll be fine. Besides vampires are nocturnal creatures after all." He took Bonnie's ring out of her hand and with his, placed them in the ring box.

He turned back to her, captured her hand and together they submerged themselves in the water.

* * *

Bonnie's back met with the softness of the fleece blanket but she was simply too busy to note how it felt against her wet skin. With Stefan devouring her mouth in the special way he knew how, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer.

She was crack, heroine, cocaine and every other illicit drug out there to Stefan. And no matter how many times he had a hit it always felt like the first time. Her body was pure heat, from the way she kissed him with fervor, to her skin, to the sweetness that lied between her legs, she burned him in ways fire never could.

She stared up at him, eyes filled with lust and kissed his chin. Stefan thrust forward—powerfully—enough to shift her against the blanket.

Bonnie hissed, stretched her legs wider to accommodate him and together they began to undulate.

Bonnie's hand dropped down and she felt them. Stefan's hand joined hers. A tear slid down her cheek and she thought, please don't let the world end.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! **


	6. The Plan

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**

Jeremy Gilbert entered Robert E. Lee library around 4:15 pm. He needed to study for his upcoming Chemistry test although Chemistry was the last thing on his mind, and he sucked at the subject anyways. But he figured it would be better going through the motions of actually giving a damn about his education than going home to an empty house.

There were a few students peppered throughout the main floor of the library. The library was three levels total—four if you counted the basement which was used as archives for old newspapers and ancient original manuscripts. The school's library hours operated independently from the school since there was only one other library in town, and it closed its doors promptly at five o'clock. Right before nightfall.

Robert E. Lee stayed open until nine on the weekdays and ten o'clock on Saturday. It was only open for five hours on Sundays.

The air conditioning was on full blast for which Jeremy was grateful.

He found an empty table near the stacks. Slugging off his backpack and dropping it noisily on the table, he pulled out the worn padded chair that offered little to no support. He dug around inside his bag, pulled out his materials along with his iPod and popped the earbuds in his ears.

The last thing Jeremy retrieved from his backpack was his cell phone. No missed calls and no new text messages.

Sighing heavily, Jeremy grabbed his study guide and opened his textbook to the appropriate page.

What was staring back at him was Japanese.

Sighing again, he tried to work out the first problem on the study guide.

Five minutes later, he hadn't even broken down the first formula. Slamming his pencil down and jabbing the heels of his hands into his eyes, Jeremy looked around the library.

Surely there had to be at least one person here who had taken Chemistry I and could give him some pointers. Jeremy had escaped summer school by the skin of his teeth, and it was a good thing he didn't play any sports—other than the sports he played recreationally—because his poor grades would have gotten him cut from the team.

He should try harder, he said to himself. He couldn't go through life getting by on good enough. In this century with people making all kinds of strides intellectually, creating technological marvels, Jeremy saw himself barely one step ahead of primates. In fact, their IQ score might be higher than his.

Snorting Jeremy picked up his pencil but then a familiar face caught and held his attention.

Bonnie.

She sat two tables over from his to the right almost in the middle of the room. Several books were littered on the table top along with two spiral notebooks, and a tall stainless steel canister Jeremy knew was filled with her favorite blend of java. From the looks of it, and from the way she was gnawing on her pencil eraser she was in for the long haul, and would be at the library until the old pushy battle ax ordered everyone off school property.

Jeremy forced his eyes back to his own daunting task, but naturally his gaze traveled back over to Bonnie.

It hurt his chest to look at her. She looked so carefree, beautiful and innocent. He still couldn't understand why she just broke up with him out of the blue. That was so unlike her. Bonnie had always been a straightforward and direct person; she gave it to you straight with no chaser, but her explanation for why they should go their separate ways just didn't add up to him.

She was a senior, he knew that. He understood what pressures most seniors—especially those who were trying to get a full ride to a top division and/or Ivy League school were under. He could commiserate with Bonnie on that end. Jeremy didn't think he was too clingy of a boyfriend to not give her the space necessary to dedicate to her class work.

NO, there had to be another reason why she just ended their relationship.

Something had to have happened while he was away leading Katherine to that vampire hunter Mikael. Jeremy was sure of it because before he left they were tight like glue.

Suddenly Bonnie stopped her feverish writing and looked right at him.

Jeremy gulped and diverted his eyes. He resumed his fake studying but then, he looked up again and Bonnie was still staring at him.

She rose from her seat, almost knocking the chair backwards and rounded the table. She began heading straight for him.

Licking his lips, the pencil fell out his hands as he watched his ex-girlfriend approach him like she was either going to slap him for looking at her, or…

His thoughts trailed off as Bonnie sidle up next to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. She then smiled that special half smirk she usually reserved just for him.

"Jeremy," she said and bent down, swooping in for a kiss. Jeremy happily obliged her.

Soon his arms were full of Bonnie and the two broke apart when air became a necessity.

"I've missed you, Jeremy."

"I've missed you, too, Bonnie."

"Let's never fight again."

Their lips met again this time with reverent passion. Tongues colliding, spit swapping, teeth clashing. Jeremy rose from his seat, holding Bonnie close to him and laid her down on top of the table, right on his books. She didn't make a noise of complaint, merely reached for the hem of his shirt, and pulled it up revealing his washboard stomach and bulging pectorals.

"I need you, Jeremy." Bonnie wrapped her legs around his waist, reached up to kiss him again while working on his zipper.

He felt his heart pounding in his throat as Bonnie touched him, touched him in a place she had never touched him before. Jeremy couldn't explain why he was feeling like a virgin. He had thrown that card away over a year ago, but maybe it was because he and Bonnie had done nothing more than share a few heated kisses throughout their relationship. It was hard finding time to get your freak on when you were trying to save someone from dying.

But there was nothing standing in the way now. Although Jeremy was vaguely aware of the fact they were in full view of the public, no one had told them to cease and desist.

Just as he worked her pants down to her ankles, a loud blaring noise went off.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked as she covered her ears and winced.

"I don't know," and Jeremy didn't care. They had business to attend to, but the blaring noise wouldn't go away.

"Jer…" Bonnie said before she began to fade away.

"Bonnie! Don't go!" he tried to reach for her but clasped nothing but air.

His eyes opened.

Jeremy groaned and threw his remote control at his alarm clock. All he was successful in doing was knocking the machine off the end table, but it still continued to mock him and ruin his fantasy about finally having sex with Bonnie from its upturned position on the floor.

He laughed derisively. "Freakin-a can't even get lucky in my own dreams. Life blows."

Jeremy rolled to a sitting position, scratching his side.

He had had dreams about Bonnie before, but this was the first one he had of her since their breakup. Four days was all the time that passed since Bonnie called things off. Naturally the day it happened he showed up on Matt's doorstep and the two smoked and got tanked.

The alcohol and pot did very little to relieve the pressure that called the center of his chest home. He wanted her back. Hadn't realized until she kicked him to the curb how much he truly did love her. Jeremy had loved Anna and Vicky, but not the way he loved Bonnie.

He'd have to figure out some plan to win her back. Things couldn't be over simply because _she _said they were. And really, when had Jeremy ever fought for anything? Never, his brain supplied the answer. Well, he'd go about changing that.

* * *

The sun was warm on her skin. The sounds of nature had turned into her personal alarm clock. The smell of bacon cooking on the stove seduced her from the dream she was having. Slowly, Bonnie peeled one eye open, followed by the other, but the view that welcomed her was all wrong.

She wasn't at her house.

She was outside. By the lagoon. Naked.

And that smell of bacon frying on the stove…

Bonnie jolted up and screamed "STEFAN!"

The vampire twitched, felt his skin roasting and cursed: "SH*T!" In less than a tenth of a second he catapulted through the air to get to the shaded part of the woods. Bonnie watched his lily-white ass sail through the air with smoke trailing after him. She'd laugh about that later, she promised herself. For right now she needed to find his day-walking ring and fast.

Her hands pushed and picked up pieces of clothing and finally she spotted the ring box buried underneath the blanket. Snatching Stefan's ring from inside, she ran over to the tree he was cowering behind.

His entire body was splotchy, red, sore and cracked. Bonnie had never seen a burn victim before so she imagined that's what they would look like.

Carefully she took his hand. Stefan manned-up and didn't scream like he wanted to at feeling Bonnie's feather light touch against his flesh. He couldn't bite down on his lips without causing himself more pain so he withstood it.

"I'm sorry," Bonnie winced as she slipped his ring back on the middle finger of his right hand.

"I-I need blood…to heal…" his voice sounded dry and gravelly.

Bonnie nodded her head, swept her hair off her shoulders and offered her neck to Stefan.

To her astonishment, Stefan reached for her wrist instead. "Might…take too much." He said before burying his fangs in her skin.

There was a sharp sting like a bee's sting, but it was easily replaced with the sensation of pleasure.

Bonnie watched as the red patches of burned skin began to heal until he was once again, smooth unblemished porcelain.

Slowly he ejected his fangs from her skin, licked the wounds his teeth caused, and slumped down the tree. Bonnie fell down to her knees and cradled his face between her hands.

"How do you feel?"

Stefan laughed in an almost self-decrepitating manner. "Vulnerable. And stupid. You told me not to take my ring off. I could have burst into flames." He looked earnestly at her. "I could have hurt you."

Bonnie knew he wasn't referring to her catching on fire as a result of sleeping next to him. "But you didn't. You restrained yourself, Stefan. Do you wanna know what that tells me? That you haven't completely lost your humanity."

Stefan quickly rose to his feet and walked back, stark naked to their impromptu camp site. He reached for his pants, and thrust his legs inside. His shirt followed next. Bonnie had trailed after him yet stared at him quizzically. She reached for her night gown and slipped it back on.

"I'm not _human, _Bonnie. And whatever part of me that still was…" he turned to face her. "Klaus took that away from me."

Bonnie approached him and stood close. "In your own way…you still care, Stefan."

He shook his head to refute her words, but Bonnie knew she had to press forward. She felt they were on the verge of a breakthrough. She couldn't allow Stefan to run from it no matter how uncomfortable or vulnerable it made him feel. The most important thing was—he _felt _something outside of rage, boredom, and lust that had captured him.

"The only thing I can say I feel anything for, however minuscule it might be…is you."

"No," she stepped closer and cupped his cheek again, the pad of her thumb tracing his lips. "You feel a _great_ deal about me." She grinned. "In some weird, twisted way I would say last night was the closest you and I have ever come to making love."

Stefan dropped his eyes from her face to stare at his feet.

"You didn't drink from my neck because you feared you might kill me. Ripper Stefan wouldn't have thought twice about tapping a vein. You gave me a ring last night—a promise ring. If our situation didn't matter to you, you wouldn't have made the gesture. You haven't hurt anyone I care about."

Stefan was still looking down so Bonnie was unable to see a brief flash of guilt in his eyes.

"I still hurt people, Bonnie," he confessed lifting his face to stare at her. "It's in my nature. I can't control myself sometimes."

Bonnie sighed deeply. She wasn't ignorant of the fact Stefan craved blood. It was his number one addiction and she knew he must have indulged in it when they weren't together, which was very rare these last few days. Perhaps she tricked herself into thinking that if she didn't see it with her own two eyes, hadn't heard about it from local community gossip about mass deaths, it meant Stefan was still drinking from bags, rather than getting his fix straight from the source.

"Yes, I won't lie to myself about that, Stef. You're very much capable of doing despicable, unforgivable things to people. Let's take last night for example. You and your brother are too old to be acting like kids." Bonnie began to imitate Stefan's voice. "'Damon smashed my Lego's so I melted his action figures in the microwave'."

Stefan snorted. "Was it the G.I. Joe with the Kung-Fu grip?'

Bonnie swatted his chest. "Shut up," she chuckled yet continued. "But I've seen another side to you. And unless you're acting…your capacity to give a damn hasn't been completely eradicated."

"Bon, you're being too idealistic about this. The day has just begun so there's no telling what I might do later."

"Are you giving me a heads up?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"If I asked you to be on your best behavior…what would you do?"

"Distract you long enough before you realized I just downsized the police department."

Bonnie shook her head. Stefan bent over to pick up the ring box, extracting hers and returned it to her finger.

They stared at one another before kissing.

"Let's get you home," Stefan said after pulling away. He swung Bonnie over his shoulder eliciting screams from her, and slapped her ass.

* * *

Later that same night, Bonnie strolled through the front door of the boardinghouse. She hadn't told Stefan about the meeting she had been summoned to by the Trinity: Damon, Elena, and Alaric because she knew if she had, Stefan would show up and ruin all of their plans.

And it was hard for Bonnie to ignore the feeling of betrayal. Just last night Stefan had given her a ring. Now for her to turn around and conspire with her friends to find a way to contain and/or control Stefan, it made a funny taste rise in the back of her mouth. Yet for appearances sake, she had to do this. "Rah-rah, team."

* * *

Being studious was the last thing Elena wanted to be, but it was time she start making strides towards her future. She certainly couldn't live in Mystic Falls for the rest of her life. Not saying it would be a bad thing if she did, but there came certain bridges you had to cross, and certain rites of passage you had to endure. Like graduating high school and going off to college.

That being said, Elena turned the page in her English Literature book. This quarter it was all about Gilgamesh.

A whoosh of wind ruffled the papers that were strewn across the table at The Grill and she smacked her hands against them so they wouldn't fly away feeling annoyed.

"I heard you've been looking for me."

Elena gasped, calmly sat her pencil down and looked up and over across to her ex-boyfriend.

His grayish-blue eyes danced with mirth. His skin looked a little tan to Elena which meant one of two things: he recently fed, or it was the recessed lighting of the Grill that made him look pinker than usual. In any case, even after his shenanigans and craziness, she still responded to him like any hot-blooded would to an attractive guy. It irritated her because Stefan had proven nothing outside of his apathy towards her; therefore, he was no longer entitled to her drool.

"You haven't been spending much time at the boardinghouse. I thought your job was to protect me. I've been looking for you to tell you what a piss poor job you've been doing."

Stefan laughed and leaned back against the padded cushion of the booth. He signaled for a waiter or waitress.

"Is that all? You could just cuss me out via text, Twitter, or hit me up on Facebook. Just admit it, Elena," Stefan slid to the edge of the booth and leaned across the table so there was no more than a few inches of space separating the tip of his nose from Elena's.

"You still want to know if I'm attracted to you. If my heart still skips a beat when I stare into your Sailor Moon big brown eyes."

Elena wouldn't know she was holding her breath until later.

"You still want to know if my prick jumps to life when I'm near you."

She blushed.

"You still want to know if my head is filled with fantasies of bending you over the nearest flat surface."

She gulped and licked her lips.

"You still want to know if I'll bury my head so far deep between your legs you question if you're giving birth."

She needed some ice water because her mouth was getting dry like the Sahara Desert at noon.

"Well…the answer to all of those questions, my dear sweet Elena is…HELL NO!" Stefan leaned back and cackled like a hyena, even snorted like a pig a few times.

Her jaw fell open in incredulity. "You are such a-,"

Stefan held up a single finger in warning. "I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you, love. My little lovely love."

"You are such a condescending prick."

"Do you feel better?" Stefan reached over and grabbed Elena's hand, holding it tightly in his own. She tried to wrestle it free but then gave up when it became more than obvious she couldn't break his hold.

"I've found someone who meets all of my qualifications, surpasses them actually. She doesn't volley between who gives her wet dreams at night. And believe me," he smirked, "my name is tattooed all over her twat." He patted her hand and then got up from the table.

"You're a pig."

"Funny, you should say that because last night Bo-," Stefan stopped himself. Bonnie would be severely displeased with him if he revealed their secret. Nah, it was best to let her handle it because he quite simply didn't have the patience to deal with an emotional Elena.

"I'll guess the next time I'll be seeing you is at the Lockwood formal. Have a good day, Elena."

Elena watched him walk away with tears lining the bottom of her eyes. She gripped her pencil in her hand and wondered if she'd have enough time to run behind him and bury it in his shoulder.

But Stefan halted his progress to the door, pivoted on a single foot and began marching back over to her.

He laid his hands on the table, palms down, and leaned across again, getting in her face. "I wouldn't question my ability to watch over you. But you make my job increasingly easy by spending so much time with Damon. I don't know why you continue to tease him for I'm sure his balls are the color of an eggplant right now."

The grip on the pencil never loosened, and the next thing she knew, she stabbed it clean through his right hand.

"ARGGGGGGG!" Stefan howled as Elena quickly slid out of the booth and stomped her way to the bathroom muttering the whole while about assholish vampires.

* * *

"You stabbed Stefan in the hand with a pencil?" Bonnie questioned as she poured Nacho Doritos in a large plastic bowl.

Elena ripped the sealed end of an M&M's bag clean off with her teeth. "Yes, and it felt _really_ liberating. The things he said to me," she looked equally repulsed and kind of thrilled by Stefan's dirty talk. He never said a third of the things he let tumble out of his mouth to her, not even when they were seconds away from climaxing together. Sex with Stefan had always been meaningful, and he took care with her, but according to his brutish words, Stefan no longer made love reverently.

Part of her felt sick that someone else was getting to experience the dirty, nasty, filthy side of Stefan's antics in the bedroom. Naturally she began compiling a list of "suspects". At the top of her list was Klaus' sister Rebekah. She seemed like a possible candidate, but she hadn't seen much of the blonde Original, however, that didn't mean Stefan wasn't capable of sneaking off into the middle of the night or day to go and jump up and down on her.

Bonnie kept her back to Elena as she stood near the sink. She would have to have a serious talk with Stefan when he came over tonight.

Her eyes trailed to her bare right hand. She had taken the ring off and buried it in the bottom of her jewelry box after she got an urgent text from Elena asking if she could come over. She knew instinctively that something was wrong with Elena before she even replied back that her door was open. There was no need in adding more fuel to the fire and plus she didn't want to have to explain the ring and more specifically name who had given it to her.

With Elena here, Bonnie thought what better opportunity than now to confess that she and Stefan were seeing each other, sleeping together. Although in all honesty, Bonnie wasn't exactly sure if she could call herself Stefan's girlfriend since they never explicitly said they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

Bonnie couldn't brush it off as harmless fun. Stefan crossed the line again—he was a habitual line stepper, and as a consequence, Elena put a pencil through him. Damon would be oh, so proud when he found out if he didn't already know.

To her dismay, Elena approached her, and stood beside her to add the M&M's to another plastic bowl this one smaller than the chips bowl.

"Last night we talked about finding some way or spell to flip his switch back to ON, have you been able to find anything?"

No, because as soon as she got home, Bonnie fell face forward on the bed and snored the night away. This morning, she had gotten up early to exercise and wash her hair. That was about it.

"I haven't begun researching it yet, but I'll definitely get on it."

"You know the last thing I want to do is hurt Stefan, but he's so out of control I don't see anyway around it."

"I hear what you're saying, Elena. But in all fairness, what did you think would happen requesting to see him alone?"

The taller brunette shrugged her shoulders. "I was hoping that without an audience around he wouldn't feel the need to—I don't know—perform. But…it didn't matter anyways. He was right, when he told me last year that when he's high on blood, he's worse than Damon. However, the reason I wanted to see him was to ask him about something."

"What?"

Elena retraced her steps, grabbed her book bag and pulled out several newspaper clippings. She spread them out on the center island.

Bonnie wiped her hands clean and read some of the headlines. She got the gist of the significance of the articles.

"Several girls have been assaulted," Bonnie paraphrased and then looked at Elena. "You think Stefan is behind this?"

"That's what I was hoping to ask him, but he went in a completely different direction, and well…he's picking lead out of his skin right now because of it."

Bonnie shook her head. One article included the name of the victim, Bonnie knew her. She was a sophomore at their school. The others were prior students who were home from college on the nights they were attacked.

"Fourteen years old," Bonnie mumbled and felt her heart go out to the young girl and her family. "Stefan might be a lot of things but I don't think he'd attack a child."

"I feel the same way too, but he doesn't care about anything, so the age of his victim wouldn't matter."

"And if you presented this to him? What do you think his response would have been?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders and bit the corner of her lip. "He either would have denied it or he could have blown a gasket."

"Which would have been dangerous in your case."

Elena shook her head. "He's under orders or compulsion to protect me. He wouldn't have hurt me."

"Be that as it may, until you have all the facts I'd be careful in asking him about this."

"So you think I still should?"

Bonnie thought for a moment. Young women had been attacked—one sexually assaulted. However, there was no mention of any blood loss. That didn't fit a vampire's M.O. considering blood was their motivation for everything. Stefan wouldn't go around beating girls to a bloody pulp without draining them, or taking enough blood to cause unconsciousness.

"Ask him but do so in a public place. I don't think he's the one attacking these women, that's not his style."

Elena nodded her head and then grabbed the chips and candy bowl, passing one over to Bonnie.

"Shall we gorge ourselves on this Channing Tatum marathon or what?"

Bonnie smiled and accepted the bowl. "After you."

The girls entered the living room. Bonnie reached for the remote, turned on the television and then hit the button for the DVD player to activate. Elena had already inserted the first movie _Step Up. _The acting and storyline left much to be desired but Bonnie loved all of the dance sequences.

They were fifteen minutes into the movie before Elena had to open her mouth. "I miss him, Bonnie."

She almost choked on a Dorito. "Stefan?" she coughed.

Elena nodded her head while at the same time tearing up. She pressed the back of her hand over her mouth to keep her heart wrenching sobs from spilling out.

"I want him back, the old Stefan." Pause. "He said he's with someone else."

Bonnie's heart literally froze in her chest before picking up speed and beating against her ribcage like a disgruntled baby's mama beating on a door looking for her child's dead beat father.

It was hard swallowing down that chip, but Bonnie did and then, sat the bowl on the coffee table. She awkwardly reached over and hugged Elena who wailed like she hadn't allowed herself to do since Stefan first left town.

But Bonnie felt rotten because in a sense she was the other woman, despite the fact nothing started between herself and Stefan until things were over with Elena. Naturally Bonnie knew that Elena would not view their relationship in that light and would find it a betrayal because girlfriends do not date and/or f*ck their girlfriend's exes. That was a cardinal rule.

Bonnie would hold off for a few more days before telling Elena. There was no need in kicking a chick when she was already down.

"We'll get him back," Bonnie promised and felt her own tears prick her eyes. "Katherine will resurrect Michael, Michael will go after Klaus, and if he's successful in killing him, the compulsion will break."

Elena pulled away and wiped the tears from her face. "Yes, but…everything's changed."

Intuition kicked in. "You're not talking about between you and Stefan…are you?"

Bonnie watched as Elena's chin quivered prior to her friend shaking her head.

Elena brought her bright and frightened brown eyes to Bonnie's. "I think I did something incredibly dumb."

**Two days earlier…**

Damon stood leaning against the threshold with a glass of blood in his hand. "Elena? Can you come up here for a second?"

He heard the brunette rummaging around the library leafing through books, trying to find anything that would help with their little Stefan problem.

Elena climbed the stairs with a bad attitude. She hadn't been sleeping, was training with Alaric at the arse crack of dawn, and her ex-boyfriend was being a dick to everyone in sight, herself included. There was but so much more she could force on her plate before it cracked. But the biggest problem Elena had was keeping several boundaries in place between herself and the elder Salvatore.

As usual, Damon was dressed like a mortician, half smirk in place as he sipped from his goblet of blood. His eyes always made her loose her train of thought and she tried to avoid making direct eye contact with him unless it was absolutely necessary. His eyes just had a way of trapping someone and before you knew it, you were on your back with your panties dangling from the ceiling fan.

It certainly didn't help matters that Aunt Flo was just a week away from making her monthly trip, so her hormones were off the charts.

Elena folded her arms over her chest. "Yes, Damon?" she said tiredly.

"There's something in my room you should see."

"In your room? You can't bring it downstairs?"

"The view is better from my room."

Elena tried her best to calm her heart because it wanted to increase in velocity. She had been in his room several times, but other people had been loitering through the house during those times. She was all alone with Damon, and being alone with him, more importantly, being alone in his bedroom would not be a good thing.

Damon stepped aside to allow her entry to which Elena cautiously entered his bedroom.

It was as clean as a whistle and larger than an apartment in New York.

Her eyes darted around looking for whatever it was Damon wanted to show her. When nothing ostentatious jumped out, she spun around to face him.

"What is it, Damon?"

"Close your eyes."

"What?" she said bemused.

Damon repeated, "Close your eyes."

Elena cleared her throat but did as he said. She felt his hands on her shoulders and she jumped at the unexpected contact. Damon turned her around and she could feel only the phantom imprint of his body against hers. Then, something cold was draped around her neck.

"You can open your eyes now."

When she did her fingers automatically reached for the necklace he placed around her neck. In the mirror she noticed it was a heart shaped pendant with her initial.

"It's beautiful, Damon. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I figured there was no point for your neck to be without some type of bling."

She smiled, turned to face him and impulsively reached over for a hug.

Damon was a little surprised although not by much. He slowly and very lightly wrapped his arms around her and was two seconds from pulling away when he felt Elena tighten her arms around his shoulders.

"Don't," she said. "Don't pull away."

Damon's eyes did that crazy thing they do when he was trying to figure something out so he stood there and hugged the girl he quite literally would have and almost died for.

In an uncharacteristic move, Elena kissed his cheek, but her lips lingered and lingered until Damon turned his head.

Their lips made contact and what began as something chaste and pure because he had played this moment out in his head a million freakin' times, quickly spiraled into something straight out of a soft-core porn flick.

Damon tumbled backwards on the bed, Elena climbed atop him and together they removed her shirt. She stood poised in her bad girl bra and leaned down to capture his lips again.

Kissing Damon was like kissing the god of love or something close to it. The way he worked his lips over hers, darted his tongue in and out of her mouth, stealing her breath, it was a miracle she was still lucid.

Just as she made the conscience decision to sleep with Damon, heavy footsteps stomped through the room.

Elena squealed and threw herself off of Damon, reached for her shirt and covered herself up.

Stefan whistled as he walked over to Damon's closet completely ignoring the couple on the bed.

Damon growled and forced himself to sit up. "What the hell are you doing?"

Stefan looked at him over his shoulder. "I need a black shirt. You have so many…oh, and please don't stop on my account."

Stefan rifled through his choices and found a shirt to his liking. Resuming his whistling he headed towards the door.

"No need to cover up, Elena, I've seen them before," he chuckled and then dug around in his pocket. He flicked a small square packet at his brother. It landed on Damon's chest. "Just in case. She is a doppelganger so there's no telling what might happen. And I don't think the world is ready for a Damon Salvatore Jr."

With that Stefan closed the door.

**Present…**

Bonnie manually had to close her jaw. Elena and Damon were about to have sex. Stefan caught them and had no type of jealous reaction.

Why did Bonnie want to jump to her feet and do a little jig?

When she looked over at Elena who was shamefaced, she calmed down her inner child and took her friend by the hand.

"Elena, it's okay."

"No, it's not, Bonnie. I love Stefan, my choice has always been Stefan, but these last few months with Damon…urggh, my head feels all screwed up."

"How does Damon make you feel?"

"Like I can do anything. He promised he would never leave me again, and I believe him, and I don't want him to leave," Elena played with her fingers. "What am I supposed to do if the compulsion is ever broken?"

To that, Bonnie simply had no answer for.

* * *

When Stefan walked through the front door of the Bennett residence, he knew he was in big trouble. That's why before Bonnie had the chance to shoot off at the mouth, he held out a wrapped box towards her.

"Why do I get the distinct impression you're trying to bribe me?"

Stefan placed a hand on his chest right over his heart and feigned a hurt expression. "Who me? Look, I already know I'm in trouble and I bought this as a peace offering."

"I'm going to have to get a muzzle for that mouth of yours, Salvatore. You can't go around saying whatever you please to whomever you like. You might not have feelings but the people you deal with do. You're going to have to remember that."

Stefan had kept his eyes planted on the ceiling of her bedroom the whole time she lectured him. "Okay, if it'll make any difference I'll apologize to Miss Sensitivity."

Bonnie shook her head and sat down on the edge of her bed. "I feel like you'll only make things worse, so how about you only speak to Elena when it's vitality important."

"Sure, I can do that."

He joined her on the bed.

"I decided I'm going to tell her…about us since you spilled the beans you're involved with someone else."

"Good. When are you going to do that so I can be out of town when it implodes?"

Bonnie smacked him hard on the head. "You're very cute, Stefan."

He puffed out his chest. "I know I am."

"And there's something else…have you heard about those girls being attacked?"

Stefan shrugged his shoulders. "A town this small that's all people talked about today. If you're trying to ascertain if I'm behind it you should know that's not my style."

Bonnie felt satisfied with his answer. When she went back to read the articles, she matched the dates of the attacks to the nights Stefan stayed with her, so that ruled him out as a possible suspect. Still it made an eerie sensation climb down her neck that someone in her town or in the neighboring county might be responsible for those heinous crimes.

"I know you couldn't have been responsible."

"And that's why you're a genius," he kissed her forehead. "Now go downstairs while I set up your present."

Bonnie gave him a suspicious look but did as he instructed.

She was downstairs reading a magazine when twenty minutes later Stefan called her back into the room.

As she opened the door at first she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be looking at until Stefan took a huge step to the right to reveal…

"A stripper pole?" she slammed the door to her room unnecessarily hard. She folded her arms over her chest. "Stefan, are you serious? I can't keep that thing in my room. My dad will flip if he sees it."

"Calm down, sugar lips." He held out a hand to Bonnie motioning her closer. "This is much more than a stripper pole. You can use it for exercise as well."

"I'll bet," Bonnie mumbled as she eyed the silver contraption that stood about ten feet in height. It was a good thing the house had twelve foot ceilings.

Bonnie stood next to the pole with Stefan breathing down her neck behind her. "It's retractable so you can hide it under your bed or in the closet."

"Yeah, why does this feel like this is more for your benefit than mine?"

"We can share in the joy together," he kissed her neck and then picked up the instructional DVD.

"Wanna go through a quick tutorial?" he grinned like a little boy.

Bonnie shook her head before snatching the DVD out of his hand. "You are _such _a bad influence on me."

"Wait right here." He began heading towards he door.

"Where are you going?"

Stefan stopped at the door and winked at her. "I'm going to go make some popcorn, duh."

Chapter end.


	7. Twirl

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**

He made her feel beautiful. Sexy. One of a kind. Not many people had the ability to make Bonnie feel like she was more than a supporting character in a melodrama. She loved the fact that every time he looked at her, his gaze was sharp and direct. She never really had to guess at the thoughts floating through his mind because he wore them plainly on his face.

And what a face, she thought as she circled around the pole before lifting her legs off the ground to execute the next move she learned. Four months ago if someone told her she'd be tossing herself around a pole for Stefan Salvatore's benefit you could forget about her giving you an aneurysm, she would have extracted your tongue from your mouth. Funny how life throws curveballs and forced you to make lemonade with apples.

But she wouldn't trade this feeling for the world. Not for a million dollars, not in a thousand years, not for anything on this planet.

His grayish blue eyes penetrated Bonnie right down to the marrow of her bones. He made her feel like the consistency of jelly. Completely malleable. And from the leer on his face, Stefan couldn't wait to sample the juicy treasure that lied between her hips.

There were many things he loved about Bonnie. Stefan had stopped lying to himself long ago that he was merely toying with her to keep his boredom at bay. That wasn't the reason. She was life and energy packaged into a small body that was strong, firm, and bendable oh so bendable. She supported his weight, his girth, his mass, could give as good as she got making her his equal in every way.

Whenever they had to separate his skin would literally burn with anticipation of their next time together. She was water and he was a dehydrated man and it was only her cup he wanted to drink from.

How the trajectory changed in their dynamic and when were questions Stefan could pester himself with, but ultimately it wouldn't do him any good. Humans were the ones who were so caught up on labeling and identifying things. Vampires lived in the moment because—if they were careful—had an eternity to live free and hard.

Their emotions quadrupled after they transitioned but when a vampire goes "off line" all ties to their humanity were severed irrevocably. But only on very special occasions could they encounter something with a large enough spark to trigger phantom emotions.

Stefan had identified Bonnie as that spark.

Her skin was spice on his tongue; her blood was the gateway to life and vibrancy. He'd hate to use the analogy of feeding off Bonnie's life force like a leech, but that was the closest equivalent he could come to. Her spirit danced between the capillaries in his veins, whispered his name during the night, chipped the ice away from his heart.

He would literally do anything, kill anything just for her.

How was this aerodynamically possible? Stefan thought as he tilted his head trying to figure out how Bonnie was holding herself steady on the pole when her hands and legs were thrown back like she was flying.

She twisted out of the position and wrapped her legs around the pole and swirled around it before slowly sliding down, landing in a handstand and splitting.

"Woooowwww!" he drawled out the word and slid further down on her bed.

With Usher's "Lil Freak" wafting through the room, Stefan didn't need a gaudy display of smoke and strobe lights to feel the effects of the seductive web Bonnie was weaving around and through the atmosphere. In her eyes he read raw hunger, the thrust of her thighs called to him like a wolf howling through the air searching for its mate. She moved like liquid chocolate.

Bonnie spun around the pole doing suspended pirouettes, and the famous Helicopter move. As she descended down, lying completely flat on her belly, she grabbed the base of the pole, arched her back, and swayed her ass from side to side giving him a lovely view of one of his favorite parts of her.

"Do you like it, Stefan?" Bonnie purred.

He grinned and bobbed his head up and down.

Lying on her back, Bonnie hiked her left leg on the pole making her body into an L shape, with the right she wrapped it around the back of the pole and then lifted herself into a handstand. The move caused her boobs to pop out of bra.

Stefan wiped the drool off his chin.

Bending herself like a pretzel and coming out of the move, Bonnie stood before him with her lacy boy shorts crawling up her tail and her push up bra cutting off her circulation.

"Good because my arms are tired," she stopped dancing.

"What?" he was outraged and clicked the music off with the stereo remote control. "You're stopping?"

"Yes. I think I've shown you enough of everything I've learned in the last three days. I didn't fall off so that means I get to quit early."

Stefan slid to the edge of the bed. "You're being completely serious right now."

Bonnie nodded her head but then strutted her way to Stefan, her obscenely high heels tapping angrily against the hardwood floor.

Stefan stretched his legs a little wider to make room for Bonnie to stand between them. As soon as she was in grabbing distance, he ran his hands along her thighs, over the swell of her backside, and settling on her hips. He kissed her navel. Dipping his head just half an inch lover Stefan caught the waistband of her panties between his teeth, and pulled backwards while staring up at her.

Bonnie propped her high heel on his thigh, purposely digging the pointy heel into his flesh.

"Ow," Stefan mumbled with her underwear still caught between his teeth.

"You're far too spoiled, Stefan. I have to do something to change the balance."

He let go of her underwear and smirked as it slapped her skin making her jump. Bonnie frowned at him.

"Yes and what exactly do you have in mind?"

Bonnie thought for a moment and then threw herself at Stefan, wrapping her arms around his neck as he deliberately fell backwards on the bed. His hands automatically reached for her bra clasp as their mouths fused together. But Bonnie reached behind her to stop his hands. He stared at her quizzically.

"It's your turn," she whispered against his lips.

"My turn to do what?"

Bonnie awkwardly looked over her shoulder at the pole. Stefan caught her drift and laughed humorlessly.

"You can't be serious."

"Deadly."

"Bonnie…," his tone reproachful.

"Stefan," she repeated just as dryly. "I've done everything you've asked of me. You order me to come on command and I do so, you tell me to push my friends away and I have—to a certain degree. I'm wearing your ring. So when you look at everything, what's so difficult about doing this one little thing for me?" she batted her eyelashes at him.

Stefan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. She was right. Bonnie had complied with all his demands and wishes with little to no complaint. The least he could do was embarrass the heck out of himself by attempting his very first pole dance.

Well, you only live once and you've cheated death enough so get over yourself, Salvatore and make the little lady happy, was the pep talk he gave himself.

"Okay fine. But if I see this up on YouTube, you and I are going to have a serious talk, woman."

Bonnie laughed and traded places with Stefan. Reaching for the stereo remote, Bonnie began to play track number 5 of her favorite songs.

Stefan glared at her as "How Low" by Ludacris began playing. Bonnie indicated with her hands that now was the time for Stefan to bust a move.

He reached for the button on his fly and popped it open and then pushed his jeans down a little until the top of his butt was exposed. Bonnie crossed her legs at the ankles, grabbed a pillow so she could prop her elbows on it, and began to nibble on a corner of her lips.

Surprisingly Stefan was able to pop his booty like a girl from the deep South and was keeping time with the music. He chanced a few daring flips and spins around the pole but didn't go over the top with it.

She giggled when Luda rapped "…_the top of your booty jiggling out your jeans, baby pull your pants up_!" and Stefan did just that.

He climbed on the bed on all fours, reaching for her leg. Pulling Bonnie towards him until she lied flat on the bed, he slipped one stiletto off followed by the other and kissed the arch of her left foot.

Stefan tugged the pillow away and aligned himself against her body. His talented fingers brushed the tops of her breasts and skimmed her neck, before they traced her bottom lip.

_"Cause I like that French vanilla and the caramel, but when it comes to chocolate I know that very well..." _Stefan winked at her.

Bonnie chuckled.

"I love to see you smile," he said.

"You make me smile."

He pecked her chin before resting his head over her heart. This allowed Bonnie to run her fingers through his hair and across his back. Not every moment between them had to end or begin with sex. They could just hold each other and revel in the comfortable silence that followed afterwards. It was early morning and her duties and responsibilities could be put off for a few more hours if it meant she could be with this Stefan while the rest of the world was quiet.

When this all began some month and a half ago, Bonnie never pictured herself in this moment. The sex had been overwhelming, piping hot, and kept her yearning for the next encounter, but now she was craving the nice quite moments between them because it proved her theory that bits and pieces of the old Stefan was still around.

"Do you really have to go with your girls to get ready for the formal?" he pouted.

Bonnie kissed his forehead. "I do. I promised them I'd be there and you know how I am about my promises."

"And tell me again why Matt Donovan is your date?"

"Because we," she waved her fingers between them, "haven't come out as a couple yet. Besides Matt and I had agreed to go together months ago."

"I don't like it."

"Tough."

"Well, that doesn't give us much time."

"Unfortunately, no."

They eyed one another before grinning and tearing the covers off the bed.

* * *

**Two hours later…**

Carrying her phone, purse, a box of gooey treats, and a carrier holding three frappuccinos, Bonnie frantically juggled her keys trying to reach her car remote.

"Need some help?"

Bonnie spun around at the sound of the familiar voice and eyed Jeremy as he casually strolled over to her. From the bemused smile on his face it kind of threw her for a loop that he actually looked happy to see her.

"I think I got it," Bonnie said.

Jeremy reached for the items anyway and tugged them out of her hands. Bonnie relented and allowed him to act like a gentleman.

She wasn't sure what to say to him considering this was their first time speaking since she broke up with him. Talk about awkward.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"No sweat," his tone relaxed and laid back.

Bonnie's eyebrows jumped.

"So how've you been?" Jeremy asked as they began the trek to her car.

"I've been fine. What about you?"

"Modulating."

Bonnie giggled ruefully. "Modulating? Have you been studying for the SAT?"

"A little. Listen, Bonnie…I was wondering if sometime this week we could get together and have lunch or something?"

Getting lunch in Jeremy's mind would be a stepping stone that could potentially lead to quiet dinners alone. He knew of a few cases were couples resolved their issues and got back together. This was only accomplished after spending real, quality time together.

Jeremy realized, perhaps too late, that there had been too much interference in his relationship with Bonnie. Their time together was spent searching through a plethora of grimories looking for a way to defeat Klaus and keep Elena alive. Those were not the parameters for setting up an intimate relationship.

If given a second chance, he'd prove to Bonnie everyday that she was his number one priority and he'd do everything in his power to love her.

She just had to give him a chance.

Apprehension along with annoyance flashed through Bonnie. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she would if she had to. Her eyes darted around the area to make sure Stefan was nowhere in sight. She certainly didn't want him charging over with steam blowing from his nostrils because Jeremy was talking to her.

"Jer…I don't think that's such a good idea."

He stopped walking forcing Bonnie to stop with him. He glared down at her. "It's just lunch, Bonnie. I mean, I get it we aren't together so does that mean we can't be _friends _either?"

"Yeah, we can be friends…just not the type of friends who have lunch together…alone."

Jeremy sighed. He felt his plan crumbling, but he couldn't give up. "Okay, if we can't ever share a meal together, what about hanging out at The Grill? We can play darts or pool."

Yeah, that's how their relationship began. Bonnie wasn't trying to take a trip down memory lane.

"Jer..."

He didn't like that tone. "Are you seeing someone else? Is that the reason you're treating me like a leper? You can tell me. I'm a big boy, Bonnie. I can handle it."

Bonnie shifted her weight on her feet. She made a conscience decision to stop lying to him and to everybody else. She could admit to seeing someone else, didn't mean she had to divulge any names.

She hesitantly brought her eyes to meet his. Bonnie could already spot the small flicker of hope that Jeremy was hanging on to by a thread that she hadn't moved on so easily.

"I…am," whooshed out of her. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. It just kind of happened and it's still new and I have no idea where it might go."

He nodded his head and then handed her back her things. "Well, thanks for telling me." He walked off before Bonnie could give a rebuttal.

Bonnie felt her heart give an uncomfortable lurch before she commanded her feet to keep moving to her car.

Once she reached her car she heard another familiar voice. "You look like you could use some help, Judgey," but he made no move to offer his assistance.

"Damon," Bonnie breathed annoyingly and managed to open her car door and carefully place the drink carrier on the passenger seat.

The vampire in question jumped down from the hood of his Ferrari and approached her. Something shiny on her right hand caught his attention briefly. His eyebrows drew together but he didn't say anything to Bonnie, merely flicked his eyes back to her face. Irritation was written plainly on it.

"About to head over to Caroline's to get ready for the Lockwood party?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing I'll see you there."

"As head of the Council of course I have to be in attendance. I gotta keep the Mayor wound tight so she doesn't act on the fantasies she has about me."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and tapped her fingers on the hood of her car. That's when she became consciously aware of her ring and tried her best to conceal it from Damon, but figured he probably saw it already.

"Is the Gilbert boy giving you problems? I can always break his neck for you," he smirked.

"That won't be necessary and Jeremy… I can handle."

"If you'd like my humble opinion I'm glad you dumped his ass. He wasn't right for you."

Bonnie snorted and climbed inside her car. "You are the king of subtlety, Damon. And you know how I strive to live up to your expectations."

He learned down so he could make eye contact with her. "As your financier I have to look out for your best interests in every area, Bonnie. The boy had to go. Don't beat yourself up about it."

She slammed her door causing Damon to jump out of the way. "I'm running late, Damon."

He took a large step backwards and held out his hands in surrender. "See you later, toots, and save me a dance."

Back tires spinning against the asphalt, Bonnie shot out of Mystic Grill parking lot.

* * *

_I am a sexy beast, _Stefan thought as he knotted his tie. He resisted just barely winking at himself. But he wouldn't be afraid to admit that he could be the next James Bond in the tailored Italian cut suit he "borrowed" for the Lockwood formal.

While his brother was distracted making goo-goo eyes at his reflection, Damon leaned against the threshold with a tumbler filled with whiskey.

From Damon's perspective Stefan appeared chipper, almost giddy like the class nerd taking the Prom Queen out on a date. As of late, when he actually paid attention to Stefan he recognized subtle changes in him. Stefan would start chuckling for no apparent reason. He'd often look reflective, and he had completely stopped brooding.

It was more than a product of being high on blood, Damon was sure of it.

"You gonna say something or are you just _that _enamored of my beauty?" Stefan questioned as he slid his hands down his suit jacket to flatten out any wrinkles.

Damon snorted before pushing away from the door to stand behind his brother. "Who's your date tonight?"

"I'll find one when I get to the Lockwoods."

_Right, _Damon thought and mentally shook his head. Sitting the tumbler down, he swung Stefan around until he faced him and then properly rearranged his bow tie.

"I'm sure I don't have to warn you to use protection?" Damon joked to which Stefan stared at him drolly.

They were brothers, shared blood and DNA, but they were polar opposites from each other. Physically they looked nothing alike. Damon was an exact replica of their father, which is the reason he was sure Giuseppe hated him, whereas Stefan had their mother's eyes and hair color. In the grand scheme of things Damon should have been the one paving the way, setting the example for his precocious brother, but Damon's disdain for following rules, going with tradition made him a horrible candidate for an older brother.

He could see that now in retrospect.

Back when they were first turned, and Stefan's addiction was at its peak, Damon hadn't been a big enough influence to get Stefan to see the error of his ways. He had no choice but to leave, abandon him because Stefan was on a destructive path that would lead straight to their deaths. Damon had immortality in the bank and he wasn't about to forfeit it due to his brother's refusal to blend in.

Stefan hadn't changed and he was ten times worse now.

Despite what he's seen of Stefan as of late and what he knew of his brother and his patterns, there was one key thing that was throwing him off.

And Damon had every intention of getting to the bottom of it.

"Stefan can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Did you give Bonnie our mother's ring?"

Stefan maintained his poker face but he turned away from Damon to pick up the handkerchief which he stuffed in the upper left pocket of his suit jacket.

"And if I did?" he replied flippantly.

Damon folded his arms and rocked on his heels. "I'd have to ask why. Are you planning on turning her?"

"No," Stefan looked at his brother through the reflection in the mirror.

"Why did you give it to her? And I'm assuming you did unless she stole it, but then she'd have to know where it was to begin with. So that leads me to believe something is going on between you and the witch. And you know what happens when I become doggedly curious about something, Stefan. So go ahead and put an old man like me out of my misery and just tell me. Are you and Bonnie sneaking around?"

Stefan spun around and stood toe-to-toe with Damon, his face stern but then it smoothed out. "Yeah," he sighed. "I don't have the energy to pussyfoot around. Bonnie and I have decided to take our friendship to the next level. I guess you can start calling us Stefonnie," he chuckled.

The only outward indication Damon gave that he was flabbergasted were his lifted brows. Several things wanted to jump off the tip of his tongue, but Damon discarded them all. Give yourself a moment to process this. He stared_ hard_ at Stefan; nope he wasn't lying about this.

He was involved with Bonnie. Bonnie Bennett. Vampire hating Bonnie Bennett. And he hadn't compelled her since witches can't be compelled so Bonnie was with Stefan of her own freewill.

He should have begun railing—Elena would have done so. He should have threatened him with bodily harm—Caroline would have done so. He should have attempted to stake him—Alaric would have tried.

But all Damon could do was stand before his brother in awe.

Would it be inappropriate to shake his hand in congratulations and then light up a cigar?

"How in the world did you swing that?" finally tumbled from Damon's lips.

Stefan turned back to the mirror to toy with his perfectly styled hair. "I'll tell you about it when you're all grown up."

Damon shook his head. He had never felt particularly proud of Stefan, his little brother had never given him any reason to be, but now with this new revelation it almost brought a tear to his eye. Not only had Stefan done the impossible by making the most judgmental witch of all time fall for him, he just cleared the path to Elena. There would be no more impediments in that department.

But Damon had to be cautious about things. He wasn't a total idiot. He was well aware of the fact Elena still cared and loved Stefan. She just couldn't stand who he was now.

Stefan read his brother like a book and spun back around to face him.

"You breathe a word of this to Elena and the Power Rangers, I promise you bad things will happen to the people you care about."

Damon rolled his eyes and shoved Stefan away from him. "Thankfully that list is very short, little brother. You might be high on blood and feel like you're untouchable because your Klaus' lackey or whatever, but_ I_ can still crush you like a jelly bean."

Stefan chuckled and slapped Damon on the arm. "Good to know you haven't gone completely soft, mate," he said in his best British accent. Confidentially strolling to the door, Stefan stopped and pivoted slightly to face Damon again.

"Damon," Stefan called. "Bonnie_ is_ mine. Touch her inappropriately or in a manner I don't like and your car won't be the only thing I blow up."

* * *

Twirling the strawberry flavored lollipop in her mouth, she examined her choices as they flitted around her, all working up the nerve to ask her for a dance. However, she was waiting for one in particular to strut through the door.

In the meantime she would observe her options.

Across from her was a chocolate Adonis who, according to school gossip recently rejoined the single ranks. He was tall, bald-headed with the deepest brown eyes she had seen in a while. His pearly white teeth winked at her from across the room as he caught her staring unabashedly at him. In reply, Bonnie winked and twirled her lollipop in another rotation before sliding it out of her mouth.

She shifted until her back was completely flat against the wall. Her eyes did another revolution around the room searching for a flare of caramel hair and alabaster skin.

Dancing teens encompassed the entire bottom floor of the Lockwood Mansion. The mayor was throwing another fundraising benefit for some charity Bonnie couldn't remember the name of. Earlier that day, she along with her two close best friends had been enlisted to decorate. Bonnie did her community service with a painted smile on her face, counting down the hours to freedom. Attending these things were routine and a bit boring. She would watch as the same people got drunk, as the same jocks engaged in fist fights, watched as the same guys and dolls hooked up only to talk smack about each other come Monday morning.

But she loved these events because it was as close to being a normal teen she could get. Besides it would look bad on her social record to be absent unless of course she was sick or dying.

Her eyes zoomed to the opposite side of the room and easily spotted Elena walking through the atrium with a very debonair looking Damon Salvatore on her arm. Bonnie studied them. Both of them were raven-haired and even in height, but it didn't look awkward, they almost looked like a perfect fit for one another. It was plain to see from the self-assured smirk on Damon's face he was overjoyed with having the girl he loved on his arm. Part of her wanted to be happy for him, but the other part of was filled with dread.

She knew Elena still held out hope that Stefan would snap back to his old self once Klaus' compulsion was broken.

Where that would leave her and Damon if that is ever achieved was the elephant Bonnie didn't want to address.

Cross that bridge when you get to it, Bonnie thought and continued to enjoy the sugary goodness of her lollipop.

"You're hot. I'm hot. Let's be hot together," suggested a warm voice over her shoulder.

Bonnie plucked the sucker out of her mouth and craned her neck backwards to stare at her visitor.

Stefan stood next to her, gazing into her eyes, a playful smirk teasing his lips.

No matter how much time they spent apart, every opportunity she had to be with him felt as exhilarating as riding on the back of his motorcycle. His presence did more than stir butterflies, it sparked her arousal. This just couldn't be normal, Bonnie thought but found herself unconsciously leaning closer to him until their bodies touched.

"Sounds promising," she said but then remembered where she was and put a modicum of space between them.

"I saw you milking that lollipop and of course you know my mind is crazy, filthy, dirty I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you. Can I have a lick?"

Bonnie shivered at the innuendo, but then placed her sucker in Stefan's open mouth. He winked at her, spun the sucker around a few times and then plopped it out of his mouth.

His tongue would taste amazing right now, Bonnie thought.

Stefan reluctantly broke their heated gaze to bring his attention over to Elena and Damon.

"Aww, they look like they should be on top of a wedding cake."

"And us?"

He brought his amazing eyes back to her. "I'd rather eat your cake."

_Ooh, baby, ohh baby. _Just as Bonnie was about to lean in for a kiss, she heard Caroline approaching them.

"There you are." The blonde stopped and eyed Stefan suspiciously. "We're about to take pictures." She held out an imperious hand towards Bonnie.

She looked at Stefan apologetically very briefly and took Caroline's hand, but Stefan grabbed Bonnie by the shoulder and whispered something in her ear.

The girl blushed to her roots and followed after Caroline on slightly wobbly legs.

* * *

Jeremy Gilbert sat off to the side in one of the two living rooms, nursing a mixed drink he was able to siphon from the Lockwood stock. His eyes were blurry and possibly red around the edges, but the alcohol helped take the sting off the fact that his ex had arrived on the arm of Matt Donovan.

He was the first to spot Bonnie who looked positively sinful in the blush Grecian inspired mini dress. Her hair—wavy, makeup—classic and haunting, her whole aura just screamed to be touched by a pair of eager yet worshipful hands. His hands, but she came with Matt Donovan. The two had always been close since they were kids, and Jeremy wondered for a second if _he _was the guy Bonnie was seeing.

However, his suspicion evaporated as Bonnie and Matt parted ways after being glued to the hip for about an hour after their arrival. Bonnie got lost in the crowd, whereas Matt had gone off with his jock friends.

They never once looked back at one another from across the room. Never once actually danced together despite the fact the DJ was playing all of Bonnie's favorite songs. So he felt a little better that they had arrived as friends and were going to leave in the same condition.

Unfortunately, as Jeremy made his rounds so he wouldn't appear anti-social, the next time he spotted Bonnie she was dancing with Damon.

Even though she was sporting four inch heels she still had to crane her neck up at Damon. He noticed that the vampire's hands were located on respectable places around Bonnie's middle. They were having a very animated conversation because Bonnie was smiling and Damon's eyebrows were doing that weird up and down thing they did whenever he was engaged in conversation with someone.

As he observed them his eyes couldn't help but travel over to Elena. She was speaking with Meredith Sulez and her date for the evening, but every so often her eyes would flick in Damon and Bonnie's direction.

Jeremy snorted derisively and brought his attention back to the couple.

Damon had spun Bonnie around a few times before dipping her. As he righted her, he kissed her cheek very lightly and then bowed before her. They exchanged a few words before parting.

That's when Jeremy came to realize that there were several other guys who had been loitering around waiting a turn to spin Bonnie around on the dance floor. She fanned herself with her hands and a cup filled with the secret juice kind of bloomed out of nowhere in front of her.

Bonnie accepted the proffered drink, took a tentative sip before handing it back to none other than Stefan Salvatore.

Jeremy pushed away from the wall and slowly began to meander his way through the crowd of gyrating bodies so he could hear what they were talking about.

Bonnie had made it no secret she didn't trust vampires as far as she could throw them, her powers notwithstanding she could throw one pretty far. So it felt a little surreal to see her holding court with the town's two most notorious vamps as if they were regular, everyday Joes.

Well it was apparent she had gotten over her bias.

Maybe because she too was supernatural she couldn't help but lean towards those with a supernatural edge as well, Jeremy thought. He had no otherness to speak of, was more of a liability than anything else, and if he were honest with himself he'd admit that if it weren't for his ring, he'd be six feet underground.

Being able to protect your mate from hurt, harm, and/or danger is one of the things that made a man a man. Jeremy honestly couldn't do anything other than yell "Look out" in terms of keeping Bonnie safe. They quite simply weren't on the same level.

Bonnie and Stefan began dancing. Was she fudging crazy? Ripper Stefan was dangerous. He didn't deserve to be around society, but locked up in a dungeon somewhere talking to rats and eating flies.

Jeremy stopped his pacing, found another wall to hold up and observed them.

Together they moved like a lion and a lioness, a matador and a bull, a snake and the charmer. They played off one another's energy, vibed like two people who had spent a great deal together learning about each other's weaknesses and strengths.

In all the dances, balls, and parties they attended, not once had Jeremy recalled seeing those two dance together.

Stefan only danced with Elena, and when she wasn't around he'd merely stand amongst the crowd.

But not _this_ Stefan.

He circled around Bonnie, wrapped a strand of her long tresses around his finger, drew her closer, so close their hips were grinding against each other. And Bonnie for her part didn't look aggrieved or put out, but rapturous.

He was beginning to feel sick.

She wouldn't? She wouldn't be attracted to Stefan. Not this version of Stefan. The good Stefan with a conscience and soul—yeah could see it, but asshole Stefan and a law abiding Bonnie just didn't mix. And she would _never _betray Elena in that way.

Yet as he continued to watch them and how intimate they appeared to be with one another, Jeremy felt a flash of memory stab against his brain.

It was something the vampire said to him weeks ago. What was it? They had spoken briefly about defenses and walls, but there was something else Stefan had muttered that confused him. _Think_, Jeremy, _think_.

His eyes widened as he watched Stefan push Bonnie's hair to the side to expose her neck. Jeremy took a step away from the wall to go and intervene, but instead of seeing fang, he saw Stefan's puckered lips kiss her below the ear.

She smacked his arm but in a playful manner before pulling away and covertly looking around to make sure no one of great importance saw his stunt.

They _did _look too comfortable as if this were something they had been doing for weeks. Pretending not to be anything to each other while sneaking away together and doing God knows what!

And that's where he remembered exactly what Stefan said, "…_no one will penetrate her walls but me._"

A large vein popped out on Jeremy's temple. His ringed hand tightened into a fist causing the silver jewelry to dig into his skin.

_The f*cker!_

Back across the room…

"Thanks for the dance," Bonnie said and detached her body from Stefan's. She quickly immersed herself in the crowd. Stefan grinned. It was time to start the chase.

Upstairs she lost herself in one of the elegantly furnished bathrooms. Bonnie turned on the sink faucet and stared at her reflection. Blood sharpened the color to her cheeks, the tip of her nose, even the points of her ears were aflame. Stefan did it again, he sat her on fire.

Bonnie snatched a cotton face cloth from the gold dish it was resting on, jabbed it under the rushing water and wiped the back of her piping hot neck.

A beat later there was a knock on the door. She felt his presence bang against the door like it was an invisible force. Shuffling her feet closer to the object that separated them, Bonnie unlocked and opened the bathroom door.

Stefan leaned against the threshold with a telling smirk. Her heart began to pound.

Wordlessly Bonnie stepped backwards to allow Stefan entry.

In her head, Janet Jackson's "Any time Any Place," began to play.

It didn't matter if there was a monsoon going on outside, or if her dad was pulling into the driveway, or if they were in a house full of people, when Stefan gave her _that look _her panties came off.

Well, they didn't necessarily come off in this incident. He merely pushed them to the side.

Bonnie constantly bit his shoulder to muffle her screams and cries of pleasure, and Stefan naturally growled as he was so found of doing.

Fifteen minutes passed, then twenty, and finally it was forty-five minutes later when they both were sprawled out on the bathroom floor—spent.

The twisting doorknob caught their attention and they quickly hopped to their feet and began fixing clothes and hair.

"Someone's in here! I'm gonna be a while! My stomach hurts!" Bonnie yelled while Stefan zipped up her dress and chuckled. He couldn't resist kissing and then repeatedly biting her neck which irritatingly made heat flare up in her center again. She looked at him crossly through the reflection in the mirror.

"You go first," he whispered against her cheek before kissing it.

Bonnie nodded her head and then swiped her thumb across his lips to wipe off her lipstick.

Bonnie opened the door, peeped her head out and checked down both ends of the hallway. She didn't see anyone so she made her exit.

When Stefan sauntered his way down the stairs a full minute later, flicking his bow tie and feeling ten feet tall, he paused on the next to last step and blinked his eyes.

Bonnie had shunned her shoes to dance on the coffee table rapping along to Nicki Minja. He chuckled. Someone was definitely coming out of her shell.

To be continued…


	8. Casual Affair

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**

In another room on the main level of the Lockwood Mansion, Stefan strolled over to the Sheriff and the Mayor who were holding court together as usual.

"There are the two most beautiful women of Mystic Falls," Stefan sang and stood a foot away from the ladies.

Sheriff Forbes looked off and away, she wasn't used to compliments, whereas Carol Lockwood blushed like a high school girl.

"You clean up nicely, Stefan," said the mayor. She tried her best not to ogle him too much. Stefan inclined his head.

"There's something missing from your neck," he said and approached the mayor, but then swung behind her.

Sheriff Forbes tensed. She knew what Stefan was, however, she didn't know he no longer had his humanity. That was one secret Caroline had managed to keep.

"What the hell is he doing?" Tyler asked sharply as he eyed Stefan standing far too close to his mother. Feeling cautious and suspicious as well, Caroline placed a comforting hand on Tyler's chest.

"I'll go talk to him."

"No," Tyler grabbed her by the arm and pulled her next to him. "I don't want you anywhere near him."

Using a little force, Caroline broke his hold. "I think I have the goods to take care of myself, Tyler. Have you forgotten about the ass kicking I laid on Damon not too long ago? Now you stand here and look devilishly handsome while I deal with the vampire pest."

Caroline quickly pecked his lips and stomped her way over to Stefan.

Stefan who was busy making the Mayor flush and the Sheriff fidget wishing she had her side-arm, pulled out a beautiful sapphire and diamond encrusted wreath necklace.

Carol Lockwood laid a hand on her chest over her heart—her jaw fell open in shock. The scent of her blood coursing just under the thin barrier of skin called to Stefan like a dime bag to a crackhead. His gums began to throb in time to the beat of the music that wafted through the mansion. _Just one taste, _the animalistic side of his brain demanded.

"Oh, Stefan where did you find it? I had no idea it even came off."

Stefan slipped the necklace around the Mayor's neck. He caught Tyler's death glare from across the room and winked at the hybrid while his fingers gingerly fastened the expensive piece of jewelry. The whole while Sheriff Forbes held her breath.

"I believe it fell off after your opening speech," he said purposely brushing his lips against the shell of her ear. Stefan felt the Mayor shiver.

Just the tip of his fangs had slid out and kind of slurred his speech a little. But Stefan swung back around to stand in front of the Mayor. He was able to contain the blood lust but his mind couldn't stop formulating ways to corner the Mayor later. Maybe when everyone began to head out, he could pretend something was wrong with the toilet in the upstairs bathroom and go in for the kill. Too bad she took vervain like it was a daily vitamin regiment it would have been fun to play with her for a little while before taking her blood. He might have compelled her to mandate that everyone donate a pint of blood or a vein to any visiting and domestic vampire. The possibilities were simply endless.

A sharp breeze ran across his back and in the next second an iron grip clamped down on his arm.

"Mom, Mayor Lockwood excuse me but I need to have a word with Stefan."

"Sure, Caroline," Liz Forbes said eyeing her daughter appreciatively. She was astute enough to recognize Stefan's reckless behavior and was thankful her daughter had intervened when she did. Tangling with a vampire had always been a messy business.

Stefan for his part _allowed _Caroline to tow him behind her.

They walked to a quiet alcove in one part of the house that had been cornered off.

Caroline threw Stefan up against the wall, her actions causing a few pictures to clatter to the floor, before entering his personal space.

"What are you doing, Stefan? Are you really so dumb to mess with Tyler's mom? Need I remind you of what he is?"

Unexpectedly Stefan grabbed Caroline by the arms and swapped their positions. He pinned her against the wall with his thighs and then lovingly ran a hand along her jawbone. Caroline twisted her face away from his touch.

"You know…I've yet to taste you, Caroline," he whispered seductively.

When she flicked her eyes back to his, Caroline thrust her arms out causing Stefan to slide backwards against the hardwood floor on his feet.

"Don't try that crap with me, Stefan. I'm not some helpless little girl who can't fight back."

Stefan laughed. "You know I'm so glad you pulled me aside, Caroline because now I can ask the question I've been dying to get an answer to. What is sex like with a hybrid? I mean, I know Tyler is fond of being tied up," he snickered, "so is it always chains and whips?"

Caroline made a noise of disgust in the back of her throat. "You can go to hell, Stefan."

He ignored her sentiment. "Seriously, did the hybrid pup send you to do his dirty work? Cute."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "One, Tyler doesn't need me to fight his battles. He can probably hand you your ass while sitting down. And two, now is not the time nor the place to test out that theory. You need to get your sh*t together before someone buries you."

"Is something the matter?"

Both vampires looked at Bonnie who stood on the other end of the alcove, her face a mask of concern and alertness.

"We were just talking," Caroline answered.

Bonnie looked from her best friend to her…main squeeze. Caroline looked agitated but was doing her level best not to let it show whereas Stefan looked as if he were up to no good.

"Right," Bonnie muttered skeptically.

Stefan approached Bonnie and slipped past her, brushing up enough against to make her heart flutter. She kept her expression cool as he disappeared around the corner. When she forced herself to look at Caroline, her friend was staring at her inquisitively.

Caroline folded her arms over her chest. "I heard what Stefan said to you earlier, Bonnie. Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Ah…later. I think Elena needs us to cheer her up. She's been frowning most of the night."

Hearing that news did not make Caroline feel emboldened to do anything outside of keeping her eye on Stefan. She thought a vampire whose emotions were turned off felt nothing for no one but apparently Stefan was getting his rocks off by irritating and agitating the people who at one point were like family to him. Tyler had filled her in on Stefan's baiting on the night of the awards dinner and his actions later that same evening—blowing Damon's coveted ride to smithereens only proved how callous he really was. So again the question remained—why were they simply letting him run free like a wild animal in captivity?

Caroline followed Bonnie out of the alcove through a series of rooms until they found Elena sitting in an overstuffed chair—pouting.

"Let me guess," Caroline leaned over to mutter in Bonnie's ear, "Damon trouble?"

Bonnie sagely nodded her head. "Yes, that would be correct."

The girls descended on Elena like a pair of gnats. They each sat down on an arm of the chair.

"Elena…sweetie you're killing the mood with this funky attitude of yours," was Caroline's opening statement.

Elena tried to muster up the courage to smile and failed. She had arrived with Damon and though he had been attentive when they first got there, after about twenty minutes he was pulled away by the Sheriff and the Mayor to talk shop. And then…somehow on his way back over to her, he decided to take a detour to dance with Bonnie.

She was happy they were getting along, but…how close did they _really _need to get?

Since then, Damon would occasionally pop up and they took a few spins around the dance floor, but now he was engaged in what appeared to be some sort of debate with Alaric and Tyler.

"I know and I don't mean to. It's just…I shouldn't be feeling this way…not towards Damon."

"Elena," Bonnie began tentatively. "I know you're holding out hope that Michael will be able to kill Klaus and the compulsion on Stefan will break. But…if Katherine was able to elude Klaus for five hundred years, there's no telling how long Klaus has been running from Michael, and we have no idea how long it would take for Michael to actually kill Klaus. Are you simply going to put your life on hold for something that might not ever happen?"

Elena flashed her woe-is-me eyes up at Bonnie and frowned in deep contemplation of her question.

"Damon…for all his faults and there are many…he loves you," Bonnie went on to say. "So my advice to you is to grab him by the collar and have at it!"

Caroline snickered.

"So let me make sure I have this straight," said Elena. "You want me to go after Damon although in my heart I believe there could be another way to restore Stefan's humanity?"

Bonnie and Caroline looked at one another before dropping their gazes on Elena.

"Yes," they answered simultaneously.

Elena's brows drew together and she shook her head. "You don't like Damon," she pointedly reminded Bonnie and switched her gaze to Caroline to include her in the statement.

"Sure we don't like him, but he's proven he can be useful," Bonnie stated.

"And," added Caroline, "he is crazy about you. Devotion like that is kind of hard to come by these days."

"Okay I must have stumbled into in another dimension. Because the Bonnie and Caroline I know would tell me not to give up hope that Stefan can be saved and to hang in there, not to drop him like a bad habit and ride off into the sunset with his brother."

Caroline sighed. "Elena, remember that nice little chat I had with you after your birthday?"

Elena quickly ran through all the conversations she had with Caroline and then remembered the exact one she was referring to. The one where Caroline asked her if she was crazy for catching feelings for Damon while Stefan was out there acting as Klaus's bitch boy.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Scratch everything I said. Wipe the slate clean. You care for Damon as much as he cares for you. I won't go out on a limb and say you love him and maybe in your own way you do, but Stefan…" Caroline spotted the caramel haired vampire tossing back a shot of some murky brown liquid. "The Stefan you love is nothing more than a ghost. And Bonnie's right…it could take up to five hundred years for the compulsion to break. Sorry, my love, but you just don't have that kind of time."

Just then the blue-eyed devil strolled over to the ladies and extended a hand towards Elena.

"Dance?" he smirked.

Elena looked for Bonnie and Caroline's approval. They infinitesimally nodded their heads. The smile that bloomed on Elena's face could not be contained.

Damon quickly swept her off her feet and got lost in the crowd.

Caroline turned to Bonnie and tapped her on the arm.

"What?" Bonnie asked.

"It's your turn," the blond implied. Internally Bonnie felt her heart drop to her intestines.

"Outside," Bonnie said. The two girls joined hands and left the noisy confines of the Lockwood estate for the well-lit backyard. They were able to find a vacant chaise near a fire pit.

"Spill," Caroline said the minute their butts hit the chair.

"Before I start I ask that you remember to use your inside voice although we're outside."

Naturally that caused Caroline's eyes to widen to the size to dinner plates. She licked her lips ready to hear some juicy gossip. Bonnie looked around their immediate area and gave Caroline a brief synopsis of her engagement with Stefan.

"Everything started almost two months ago…"

The minute she was done Caroline needed a drink and a fan and possibly a clean pair of panties. _Stefan? _Their sweet although sometimes passive-aggressive Stefan Salvatore had the capacity to think and act like a porn star? Who would have thunk? Caroline tried to picture it in her head several times and though the image was a little distorted because Damon's face kept wanting to bombard her thoughts, seeing Stefan in all his Ripper glory, yeah, she could honestly see him doing the things to Bonnie in which she described.

"I was right!" burst Caroline. "I wasn't imagining the eye sex between you two," Caroline settled down after taking one look at Bonnie's distressed expression.

"You and Stefan?"

"Me and Stefan," Bonnie replied dryly yet smiled.

"So in the beginning he was just using you for blood and sex and you complied to keep everyone safe, but now you think…he actually likes you?"

Bonnie shrugged. There were moments she knew exactly how Stefan felt about her and then there were times where she had no clue.

"Maybe he does and maybe he doesn't. He was compelled to turn off his feelings."

"Well, yeah, but…if everything you told me is true, about him being possessive it means he's still able to feel so perhaps Klaus' compulsion had holes in it."

Interesting theory which got Bonnie to thinking.

"If that's the case he would have been able to fight past it and remember his love for Elena," Bonnie reiterated. "If it's blood related, he's had Elena's blood."

"And she's had his."

"So have I," Bonnie added. "But he was in love with her."

"Therefore he refused to drain her when Klaus compelled him to."

"Yet everything was ruptured when Klaus took away his ability to feel."

"But now…Stefan's…infatuation over you has kicked started them again."

"Or maybe…they never fully went away."

Caroline quirked an eyebrow in the air and stared at Bonnie inquisitively.

"Think with me here, Caroline. Klaus wanted Stefan to drain Elena, but he refused, he tried to fight against the compulsion so Klaus flipped his switch to OFF…but maybe the compulsion was only Elena specific."

"OMG!" Caroline squealed. "So he hasn't completely lost his ability to feel for other people…"

"Just Elena."

Caroline rose to her feet pulling Bonnie with her. The two girls began to jump around while squeezing the life out of each other at uncovering the mystery surrounding Stefan's lack of humanity.

"He likes you, Bonnie! _He likes you!"_

Bonnie allowed herself to get caught up in the euphoria of the revelation for all of a hot second before reality crashed on her shoulders.

"Wait, Caroline this is bad."

The blond vampire immediately stopped her celebration, all traces of glee wiped clean off her face. "How is this bad? Stefan can still feel which means he can still love."

Bonnie shook her head. "All of that is good—yes, but this is bad for Elena."

_Right, _Caroline thought and then sighed sadly. "She's not going to like this."

Bonnie nibbled her lower lip. "I have to tell her about Stefan and me."

"Yeah, you do but not tonight." Caroline quickly continued when she saw that Bonnie was about to object. "We just spent the last ten minutes encouraging her to give Damon a shot. We can't run back in there and give her a reason to end things with him before they start. Not after uncovering what we just figured out on our own."

"Caroline, all this is speculation at best," Bonnie argued and thought briefly why she was putting in the effort. With Elena out of the picture wouldn't that free up the way to Stefan? It would work to her favor if Damon and Elena fell head-over-heels in love. They were right there, standing on the precipice, all they needed was a push.

Yet, the part of Bonnie that would do anything for Elena had to rear its ugly head. Loving someone fully took time. She'd be fooling herself to think that Elena would just all of a sudden forget her love for Stefan and turn her affections to Damon. Vampires could do that, but not people.

Bonnie went on to say, "Maybe Stefan doesn't really give a sh*t and is passing through life, or maybe he still does care but he just doesn't love Elena anymore. We have no way of testing out our theory."

"Oh, yes we do." Caroline took hold of Bonnie and began to tote her back to the house.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie asked nervously.

The two girls were plunged back into the crush of gyrating bodies. Caroline searched all faces looking for one in particular. When she saw him, she waved him over. Naturally he took his sweet time strolling over to them.

Bonnie for her part did look around the room and spotted Stefan dancing with Elena. From her perception Stefan was laughing _at_ Elena about something she said which Elena was trying her best to ignore him and remain civil to avoid causing a scene.

Suddenly Bonnie found herself being thrust into a hard chest.

"Dance with her, Salvatore and yes that is an order."

Bonnie twisted awkwardly in Damon's arms so she could glower at Caroline who instantly vanished from sight. Groaning Bonnie brought her attention to Damon. He wasn't smiling but he wasn't trying to find an excuse to leave either.

"Should I be worried about something?" he asked when the silence began to gnaw at him. Damon wasn't a natural conversationalist but he hated silence of any kind.

"I haven't exactly figured that out yet."

Unconsciously they began to sway to the music.

Damon gripped her hand—the one with his mother's ring shining like a beacon. Unsurprisingly his eyes traveled over to his brother. He observed the mechanical way he was dancing with Elena who looked as if she might burst into tears out of sadness or frustration at any moment. Of course he had been listening to their conversation; the weasel in him just simply couldn't tolerate Stefan's presence around Elena for any length of time. There was no telling what salacious things might come out of his mouth and he'd be forced to slap Stefan down a peg or two.

Come to think of it, Damon still owed him several slaps for his car. Crashing the Porsche wasn't _as _satisfying as he thought it might be. It was enough to take the sting off, but best believe he was still mightily pissed about his vintage ride going up in smoke. There was a particular bond that grew between a man and his car, especially when that car was used to transport dead bodies.

But Elena was merely questioning Stefan about the assaults on those girls that had taken place not too long ago. Damon was a hundred percent sure Stefan wasn't behind the attacks now that he knew his brother's little secret.

Which made Damon bring his attention back to Bonnie.

She looked pensive and was doing her level best not to track Stefan with her eyes. Damon wondered if she knew who the previous owner of her ring was. More than likely she didn't. Chicks went ga-ga over sentimental shit like wearing the ring of their boyfriend and/or fiancé's mother. Bonnie exhibited no prideful signs of a girl wearing a family heirloom.

Well, it was time he burst whatever bubble Stefan put over her head. And sure, in some vague part of his mind he replayed Stefan's warning about what could happen if he messed with Bonnie in a way he deemed inappropriate. The rebel in Damon simply felt it was long past due to teach his brother a thing about issuing ultimatums.

Damon cleared his throat. Bonnie looked up at him. "I didn't say this before…but that's a very nice ring."

At the mention of the ring Bonnie wanted to flee the scene. But…as she stared at the way Damon was trying to keep a straight face, Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"You know."

"Yep," his lips popped the "P".

"Is this the part where I have to pay you hush money?"

"Nothing like that. However, if you feel so inclined to bribe me to keep my mouth shut, you can show up at my room every other Tuesday for tickle time."

"Not sure I can squeeze that into my already busy schedule," she bit out through clenched teeth. "Seriously…you can't tell anybody."

"Don't you mean to say I can't tell Elena?"

Bonnie glared at him to which Damon merely smiled.

"Judgey for once I'm not judging you," he winked. "However there is something I have to know."

"What?"

He paused dramatically. "Did Stefan tell you that's our mother's ring?"

With the dropping of her jaw that pretty much cleared up any speculation on his end.

"That's what I thought," Damon went on to say as he spun Bonnie around. "Our mother's name was Belinda. Belinda Morrone before she became a Salvatore."

"Was she…?"

He understood the implied question. Damon shook his head. "No, but one was prepared for her just in case…things were just that bad back then."

Bonnie scoffed. "As if things now are a vast improvement."

"There's that judging tone again," Damon sing song.

"Bite me."

"Name the time and the place and I'll be there."

Bonnie did her own imitation of a growl that Damon found cute.

"Crap," she said and stopped dancing. Something began to sting her eye prompting her to rub it with her finger.

"What's wrong with you now?" his tone may have been a bit snappish.

"I have an eyelash in my eye, idiot."

"Hold still and let me see," Damon took her face between her hands, but then had to pry her eye open when Bonnie refused to follow his directions. He quickly blew into her orb and watched as the eyelash flew away.

"Better?" he asked. Several tears fell down her cheek, perhaps he blew into her eye too hard.

"Yeah, do I still have an eye after that?"

Damon chuckled but then proceeded to catch a crystal tear right before it fell off the bottom of her cheek. Bonnie watched with some fascination as Damon brought his finger to his mouth to lick her tear away.

There was a moment where their eyes locked and Bonnie felt the earth shift, but a strong powerful breeze from behind quickly centered her back to earth again.

Damon's eyes flicked from Bonnie's awe-struck face to Stefan's murderous façade.

"I thought I _told _you not to touch her," he said stonily.

Bonnie pivoted on her heels to face Stefan. She kept just enough separation between herself and Damon because she felt Stefan's anger coming off him in waves and didn't want to do anything to upset him more. You know, I could really kick Caroline for this, she thought.

"Stefan," Bonnie spoke as if trying to calm a rattlesnake. "We were just dancing and then I got an eyelash in my eye. Damon was just helping me out."

Stefan hardly even looked at her while she explained the situation—no he was too busy trying to see if he could turn Damon into stone like Medusa.

"I saw you taste her tears," Stefan accused.

"And you know what?" Damon retorted. "It was _de-li-cious. _Almost as good as her blood." He couldn't help himself, he just had to egg Stefan on.

Bonnie grabbed Damon's arm in an attempt to shut him up before Stefan lunged for him. Of course when Stefan saw Bonnie make physical contact with his brother, something snapped in his brain, and with lightening speed he grabbed Bonnie tightly by her other arm.

Now that prompted Damon to insert his machismo into the picture as he grabbed Bonnie by the arm that was restraining him.

Ooh, wow this hurts, Bonnie thought.

Stefan scowled and grunted when he saw Damon tighten his grip on Bonnie. Although he was ignoring her painful expression instinctively he tightened his own hold on her, his knuckles going white. His intent was to snatch her away from Damon, but this was turning into something else.

It was a miracle they hadn't snapped her bones.

"You. Need. To. Let. Her. Go." Stefan carefully enunciated his words to make sure they made it through his brother's thick skull.

"No, you let her go."

"How bout you both let me go," Bonnie interjected as pain zinged up her arms. She couldn't feel more like a wishbone right about now.

"I said she's mine, Damon."

Hun? When did they have that conversation?

Damon wagged a finger in the air. "I'm sad to inform you of the memo you missed but Emily entrusted _me _with her line. So therefore…in a roundabout sort of way, Bonnie _belongs _to me."

Incensed, Stefan's right hand shot out and wrapped around Damon's throat—he squeezed until his eyes bulged out.

They were drawing a crowd and Bonnie had to get control of the situation before the vervain blow darts were brought out.

Focusing on setting the blood vessels in their brains on fire, Bonnie relaxed the minute each Salvatore instantly dropped their confining hold on her. Stefan gripped his head. Damon gripped his and both were on their way to dropping to their knees and writhing on the floor in pain.

She called off the attack. She wasn't just pissed by their caveman behavior, she was livid. Blood rushed to her fingertips making them throb and tingle painfully. The tips of her stilettos were itching to say hello to their shins.

Elena and Caroline immediately flanked them.

"_What_ are you two doing?" Elena bellowed her eyes playing a game of tennis between Damon and Stefan.

"Were you trying to rip my girl in half or something?" Caroline fumed. She was pissed and poised to knock a dude's lights out.

The brothers began talking simultaneously that it sounded as if two different songs were playing at once. No one could make out a single thing they were saying and could only catch snatches of what was being uttered.

Caroline was able to make out "Bonnie", "not to touch" "stake his ass…" "dip his balls in an acid bath if I see…" and after that she pretty much gave up trying to figure out the details of their bitch fit.

Elena spotted Sheriff Forbes making her way over to them. Everyone immediately split up. However, Bonnie grabbed Stefan by the collar and led him outside like a dog on a leash.

She didn't let up her grip until they were hidden by a fleet of trees that concealed them from loitering party goers.

Without warning she slapped him, punched him in the nose and the blow was enough to drop Stefan to his knees. When he was down and coughing, she rammed her knee into his cheek effectively knocking him on his back. Bonnie straddled him and held his wrists above his head with her hands.

"What the F*CK!" Stefan shouted while a small sliver of blood ran out his nose and horizontally across his cheek.

"You cannot beat up every single guy who looks at me, talks to me, or touches me. You keep this up and I'll stake you myself."

Stefan laughed humorlessly. "Isn't this being a little hypocritical of you, Bonnie? Kicking my ass because I tried to kick ass and take some names?"

"We're not talking about me right now; we're talking about you," she seethed.

"He didn't just touch you, he licked your tear," Stefan continued with the original argument.

"It's a effing tear, Stefan!"

"Tears are just like blood to vampires."

"Oh."

"Yes, _oh_." He rolled his eyes and then, swiftly changed their positions. Bonnie oophed when her back made contact with the ground. She felt Stefan aligning himself against her grooves and dips.

_Don't you dare have any type of reaction to his nearness, _Bonnie admonished herself.

Stefan held her wrists in his hands but the pressure was much less than just moments ago.

"Your essence just doesn't lie in your blood, it's in your tears, your sweat, your…feminine lubrication," his eyebrows jumped up and down. Bonnie couldn't help blushing. "And I don't want Damon to be privy to _any _of it."

Bonnie felt her temperature take a dramatic spike towards scorching. She cleared her throat to regain her focus.

"And those comments the two of you made about who I belong to, let me tell you right now I'm my own woman. I'm not up for sale."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. Within seconds Stefan was on his feet bringing Bonnie along with him. She brushed off the back of her dress.

"Were you ever going to tell me the ring you gave me belonged to your mother?"

The tick in his jaw soon had a companion as the vein in his temple began to throb. "Gotdamn you, Damon."

"Hey," Bonnie said sharply, "Damon wasn't the one who withheld information from me. Does this ring have sentimental value to you?"

"I gave it to you because I wanted you to have it," Stefan's answer was a bit clipped.

Bonnie knew she was dealing with Mt. Vesuvius right now.

"Is that all?"

"What do you want me to say, Bonnie? Do you want me to say I gave you my mother's ring because I thought you'd like it—sure that's one motivation? Do you want me to say it was lying around collecting dust so I figured hey—why not let Bonnie have it because it has her first initial, again another possibility. Or, do you want me to say I gave you the ring because I like you and I want us to fall in love?"

Silence.

Crickets.

More silence.

Screams of girls being dumped head first into the Lockwood pool.

The crickets again.

And Bonnie finally blinked.

Very interesting questions indeed.

Stefan entered her personal space, cupped her cheeks to lift her face to make eye contact with her.

"You're _my_ girl and I don't want anyone else."

Now would be an excellent time to swoon Bonnie thought and she did just that. Luckily she had a boyfriend with excellent reflexes and he caught her before her butt made contact with the ground.

"You want us to fall in love?" her throat began to feel dry and tight.

His eyes darkened with intent. "Soon."

His answer sounded more like a demand.

Bonnie wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he held her bridal style. "Take me home, Stefan."

* * *

Damon laid in bed using the headboard to prop himself up. He flipped through pages in another book. The night had been a night like many. He got the opportunity to check out the local meat, put a few rumors to rest, and sparked up the next round of hearsay in Mystic Falls. Wasn't life grand?

Stefan wasn't home which meant he was at Bonnie's probably doing activities you read about in Hustler Magazine. Lucky bastard.

Soft tapping on his door garnered his attention. Damon looked up and in walked Elena.

She was still dressed in her formal regalia sans shoes.

Damon sat his book down. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she replied back afraid if she spoke any louder than a whisper she might lose her nerve.

"You wanna talk?"

Elena shook her head and then reached blindly for her zipper. Damon's eyebrow flew into his hairline.

"No, I don't want to talk. At least…not for a while."

"If you pinch yourself, Damon you might wake up," he said aloud. Elena smiled and walked over to the bed until her knees bumped the mattress.

"You're not dreaming. In fact this is something I—we should have done a long time ago."

"And that is?"

Elena looked down at her hands before flashing her doe-brown eyes back at him. The suspense was literally killing Damon.

Elena took a deep breath and on her exhale she said, "F*ck."


	9. Girl Fight

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**

In theory, following a vampire should have been easy. In theory. However that became a little more difficult than it appeared considering they were natural predators and when they appeared to be completely oblivious to their surroundings they typically had their senses tuned to the minutest things.

Following Stefan proved to be an exercise in stealth. Something Jeremy didn't actually have.

After the Lockwood Formal Jeremy knew he'd have to gather concrete proof of his suspicions. He had left the party immediately after seeing Bonnie and Stefan practically have sex on the dance floor. When he had time to cool down, he rationalized that Bonnie's behavior might have been the product of an alcoholic buzz. If that was true of course Stefan would try to capitalize on it. Who wouldn't?

So that following Monday at school Jeremy watched them both most carefully.

Unfortunately they had arrived separately. Bonnie had stood amongst her friends in the parking lot, whereas Stefan didn't arrive until seconds before the first bell of the day rung.

Jeremy didn't have any classes with them so he hacked into the school database and downloaded their schedules. He learned they had four classes together so there was no telling what went on inside those rooms. He thought briefly on who he could get to spy on them but could think of no one.

At lunch he didn't spot them sitting together or stealing off. Bonnie was sandwiched between Caroline and Elena where she was always found. Stefan got missing.

Jeremy continued to observe them throughout the week.

And when the week was over Jeremy had no evidence that anything fishy was going on between the vampire and the witch.

He allowed himself to feel foolish for a minute before a thought sparked in his head.

Jeremy hopped in his car and raced over to Bonnie's.

If they were sneaking around they wouldn't do so in obvious places like school or the boardinghouse since Elena practically lived there when Alaric wasn't forcing her to come home.

So Jeremy had parked his car on another street and hiked on foot to Bonnie's. Luckily for him there was a large oak tree in her neighbor's yard across the street that could conceal his presence. Yeah, what he was doing could be constituted as stalking, but Jeremy was merely flexing his private investigator muscles.

As he stood hunched behind the tree, squatting so he wouldn't be noticed by her neighbors, that's when he made his first discovery.

An expensive vehicle he had never seen before pulled up in her driveway. Because it was dark, and the fact the visitor was wearing a hood to conceal his identity, Jeremy had to go off what he knew of Stefan's physical appearance to try to identify the person. The visitor was the same height and build as Stefan, but so were a lot of guys. So he continued to watch with his heart racing and his fingers biting into the bark of the tree.

Bonnie had opened the door but didn't step out on the porch. Instead, her arm shot out clutching the visitor by the collar of his jacket and pulled him inside.

He could hear their laughter.

Heart feeling like it was liquidated in his chest, Jeremy rose to his feet. His fingers brushed against something in the tree bark. Curious, he used the light on his cell phone to see what it was.

It was a carving with a set of initials locked inside a crudely shaped heart.

"BB & TF 4 EVER," Jeremy read aloud. He frowned. He had spent enough time at Bonnie's to know she was the only one on her block with those initials, but who the hell was T.F.?

With his attention split, Jeremy debated if it would be smart to search the person's car. He noticed that the lights hadn't flashed as a signal that the alarm had been set, but…if it was Stefan inside with Bonnie, Jeremy didn't come prepared to fight.

For now, he had enough and in time knew that what was done in the dark would soon be brought to light.

* * *

It was on one of those rare afternoons Stefan was home and had the boardinghouse all to himself. He had plans to stop by Bonnie's later and coax her out with a ride on the Harley. She had texted him earlier that morning telling him ahead of time she had a major group project she had to work on so she would be indisposed until late afternoon.

Since there was nothing interesting to do around town, and he had already had his breakfast and a snack, he made himself comfortable on the couch and began playing his newly acquired X Box 360.

With the controllers in his hand and a big bag of Doritos resting by his hip, Stefan played game after game of _Call of Duty._

His phone buzzed against the leather cushion of the couch. He flashed his eyes and saw the call was coming from an unknown number. He rolled his eyes knowing who the caller was. Klaus.

There was no need for him to "pause" the game since he was a great multi-tasker, so Stefan continued playing while he reached for his phone and mashed it between his cheek and shoulder.

"Yes, Master you rang?" he snickered and then popped a triangular chip of salty, cheesy goodness in his mouth and proceeded to crunch down as hard and loudly as possible.

"I see you're in a mood and what the hell are you eating? Rocks?"

"Chips. What's up boss? Oh you piece of shit why the hell did you do that?"

"_Excuse _me?" Klaus asked sharply.

"My bad. I wasn't talking to you but this game."

"I would think someone in your position would give someone in my position his undivided attention. You are well aware of the fact my time is very sacrosanct and every second I remain stagnant _He_ gets one step closer to me. So I don't have time to play. Are we on the same accord, Stefan?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say…Sir," Stefan chuckled again and proceeded to eat another chip. "I'll sum up what you want to know in four words: Elena is still alive."

"Smashing, but that's not why I'm calling. I need you to do a favor for me, no scratch that I order you to do the following. I need more of her blood. The bag I was able to collect from the hospital is gone. You have exactly two days to do this or I come there myself. Text me from this number once you've acquired the blood."

He rattled off the number.

"How much are we talking? All nine pints or a test tube?"

"Don't be cute, Stefan. But if you must know…another pint will do for now. As long as she lives she will be able to produce blood. Get it done, Stefan. I expect to hear from you before the forty-eight hours is up."

The line went dead.

Stefan held his phone away from his ear before tossing it aside. He began to mimic Klaus' voice. "'I expect to hear from you before the forty-eight hours is up'. Prick."

Luckily for Stefan the school was having its annual blood drive the following day. He kept a safe distance away from the blood station because the temptation was just too much. But he had spotted Elena going inside the tent that was set up on the quad, so he waited patiently. He'd be able to identify her blood out of the hundreds of bags that were being collected because it had a particular scent to it.

Fifteen minutes later she emerged and Stefan watched as she slinked back to class.

He plugged his nose and like a phantom made his way to the tent. The nurse who had drawn her blood deposited it in a cooler that was labeled by blood type.

This was like taking candy from a sleeping baby. A baby that was wide awake would put up one hell of a fight if you tried to snatch something from them. Back in the twenties Stefan learned that the hard way.

When the nurse disappeared, Stefan made quick work of plundering Elena's blood, but then he halted.

So many bags, so many types, his gums instantly began to throb. He should reward himself for getting his task done with time to spare. So he took a bag or two or five and fled the scene.

Next stop, FedEx.

* * *

The running tradition on Saturday's was meeting up for coffee and delicious treats at the bistro, get a manicure and pedicure and spend the rest of the day either being completely lazy or attending whatever function was taking place.

Not breaking with tradition, Caroline and Bonnie sat down at their usual table with their coffee and high-in-calories pastries. Elena was running behind which was part of the program too. More than likely she was tied up with Damon.

"I wonder if those two have made it to second base," Caroline pondered aloud and took a sip of her frappe.

"I wouldn't be surprised. We practically did push her into his bed the other night."

"As if she wasn't going to end up there eventually," Caroline scoffed.

Just then the message alert on their phones went off. Caroline and Bonnie read the text and then stared at one another over the table. Elena was running extremely late and might not make it. But that wasn't all the text message read.

"She wants to have dinner at the boardinghouse." Caroline was immediately suspicious.

Bonnie sat her phone down. Part of her felt like this was an ensuing witch hunt. "It has been a while since we've all sat down together in the same place where we weren't planning to kill an ancient vampire or an Original."

"Yeah. But…"

Bonnie easily picked up on Caroline's woe-is-me tone. "Uh-oh, what's going on?"

"One word—Tyler," Caroline explained. "Ever since Klaus turned him into a hybrid he's either singing the Original's praises for the remarkable gift he's bestowed upon him—Tyler's exact words, not mine, and when he's not doing that, he's acting like the old Tyler, the douchy Tyler. I mentioned it to Damon and he said Tyler's been sired—something that's extremely rare and because of it Tyler feels loyalty to Klaus."

"Now that can't be good. Because if Klaus comes back into town…Tyler might do something dumb like side with him."

"Exactly!" Caroline shouted passionately. "But naturally Tyler doesn't see it that way. And all I've been picturing in my head is the night Jules and Friends kidnapped me, and Tyler just stood around while Damon and Stefan fought for their lives, and Brady kept shooting me in the head."

Bonnie remembered that night and shivered. It was the closest she came to losing Caroline even after she had been turned into a vampire.

"Things with you and Tyler are different. He wouldn't just stand around and let someone hurt you, not even Klaus."

Caroline rolled her eyes, and took another sip of her drink. "I'm not holding my breath on that one. But that's just the tip of the iceberg."

"There's more?"

Caroline slowly nodded her head. "Do you remember Rebekah?"

"Klaus' sister?"

"Yes, _that_ bitch. Klaus split town without her but she's been ordered to keep watch over Tyler, which she's interpreted it to mean, make moves on him, seduce him."

"Oh, God," Bonnie felt her stomach bottom out.

"So far Tyler has managed to keep it in his pants, but…it may only be a matter of time."

"Care…" Bonnie said softly. Caroline felt her tear ducts want to turn on but she quickly shook her head, pressed her lips together and then smiled.

"Luckily she's cut town. I have no idea where she went or when she'll be back. It's bad enough we have to watch Stefan's every move-,"

Bonnie tensed at the mention of his name but then told herself to relax because Caroline knew they were involved.

Caroline continued, "I have to keep Tyler from acting like his inner asshole now that he has a new set of powers he's been indulging in, and we're stuck waiting for Klaus' inevitable return."

"But wasn't Katherine able to locate Mikael—the only thing on this planet that might be capable of killing Klaus? Bonnie asked.

To that, Caroline shrugged her shoulders. She didn't have all the details about Katherine's progress with Mikael the vampire who was a vampire slayer.

"Damon hasn't heard anything from her since Jeremy helped her find his tomb."

"Something tells me…that might be a bad thing."

Again, Caroline nodded her head. "But if Mikael's done her in…I say good riddance. She had it coming."

The roar of a pissed off engine boomed through the air halting the girls' conversation. Bonnie looked over and saw Damon pull up in his newly acquired 1967 Chevy Camaro. She watched as he carefully climbed out of it favoring the left side of his body.

It wasn't hard to tell something was wrong with him.

"What's wrong with you?" Bonnie asked as he approached their table but more to the matter, her specifically.

"Hello, to you, too Judgey," Damon kind of winced as he forced himself to his full height. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a blonde Original trying to sell my valuable pancreas on the black market."

"Rebekah's back in town?" Caroline squeaked.

"Only stayed around long enough to check up on Stefan. Which of course he didn't come home last night," he stared pointedly at Bonnie and crumbled into the only other vacant chair.

Again Bonnie tensed. Stefan had been with her. At least between the hours of nine pm and five this morning.

Bonnie reached for his shirt. "Let me see." There was a puncture, about the size of a quarter located three inches above the waistline of his jeans.

"What did she stab you with?"

"I have no idea," he sucked in a massive breath as a fresh wave of pain went through him. "It was some dagger she got from one her witch friends from back in the day. She said it's the gift that keeps on giving," he imitated Rebekah's British accent.

"So it's still administering pain?" Bonnie guessed.

Her curiosity getting the best of her, Caroline leaned over to investigate Damon's wound. She grimaced and almost inserted her finger in it, but Damon slapped her hand away.

"Yeap," he answered through clenched teeth.

Bonnie looked around for a moment before discreetly slipping her hand under Damon's shirt and placing it over the wound.

Closing her eyes and reciting the words that came naturally to her, she felt heat leaving her hands. Damon's wince stretched his face until he resembled the Joker, but the internal pain he was feeling began to ebb away, and the injured muscle and skin began to stitch itself back together.

He lifted up his shirt as Bonnie removed her hand. Remarkably the puncture wound was gone, and he felt like his old semi-invincible self again.

"Thank you, Bonnie."

"You know I never get tired of hearing you say that," she ran her thumb over where the puncture wound had been. "Does that hurt?"

Damon shook his head and then grinned. "It feels pretty good, in fact damn good. Don't you want to move your hand a little lower?"

At that Bonnie snatched her hand away. "You and your brother have no filter."

Damon grimaced at the mention of his little pipsqueak of a brother who owed him sixty-thousand dollars. That's how much Damon spent on getting another 1967 fully restored Chevy Camaro with the same cobalt blue paint job.

"Stefan and I have never been in the same category so please don't try to put us in one now. If our mother were still alive she'd be deeply aggrieved."

"And she wouldn't have anything to say about you?"

"Hardee-freakin'-har-har."

Caroline sat back and watched their banter. If Bonnie weren't careful she'd have both Salvatore brothers sniffing at her heels. For now she'd keep that tidbit to herself.

"Did Elena tell you about dinner tonight at your place?" Caroline questioned.

Damon grew silent for a moment. Elena had told him a lot of things since last night. He smirked.

"So I guess that means my house will be infiltrated by the Scooby-Doo gang. Wonderful. Well look at the time got several deaths to plan. Judgey thanks for the medical treatment. Blondie go jump off a bridge. Catch you later."

The girls watched as he wondered off. As soon as he burned rubber down the street, Caroline burst out into a fit of giggles. Bonnie stared at her strangely.

"What's so funny?"

"You don't see it?" Caroline pointed in Damon's direction despite the fact he was long gone. "He came here just to see his personal nurse."

"And? I'm sorry but I'm not following, Caroline."

The girl in question took another sip of her frappe. "Every time he has a boo-boo you are the first person he seeks out. Now why is that?"

"Don't turn this into something that it's not. I'm the only witch he knows within a hundred mile radius."

"Uh-hun," Caroline snickered and then collected her things. "We should get a move on before we're late for our standing appointment."

* * *

The candles were lit, the table was set, and her friends had gathered to share a meal. Elena was practically beaming proud of the trouble she went through to make tonight special. Several times through the night her eyes would flit over to Damon who would be staring unabashedly at her and she'd feel the seat of her pants get warm.

The last few nights had been…incredible. Damon's virility was no secret and he had been insatiable and yet reverent with her.

She had screamed, cried, cursed, could have turned the house into rubble. Their passion was just that magnetic and she didn't want the feeling to go away. Elena who was seated across from Stefan thought she should feel some remorse about her actions, but…admittedly knew it wasn't possible because he was so fundamentally different from the Stefan she had fallen in love with. They were two separate people so in her own way of thinking, she didn't cheat on _her _Stefan, and it wasn't cheating period because things were over between them.

For the time being—maybe. She had Damon but that wasn't set in stone either.

Conversations flowed with ease, laughter rang out like bells and Elena was perfectly content in the moment. Nothing could shatter the mood.

However, business decided not to wait until later because her phone binged. She had a new text message.

Jeremy sat moodily at the dinner table stuffing his mouth not really paying attention to what he was eating. All night he kept his gaze locked on Bonnie. When she arrived at the boardinghouse—alone—her greeting towards him had of course been formal and distant. She offered him a watered down version of a hug, inquired about how he was doing in school, and then flitted off to help Elena with last minute odds and ends.

Stefan had stomped downstairs and said nothing to him, which was just fine with Jeremy. So that afforded him the opportunity to watch their interaction.

There was none of course.

Not until it was time for everyone to take their seats at the table.

Stefan held out the chair for Bonnie, indicating with his hand that that's where she should sit. Bonnie barely made any kind of eye contact with Stefan. Jeremy wanted to yell at them to touch, kiss, fuck right there on the table to prove that he wasn't crazy and wasn't imagining their involvement with one another.

The bing of Elena's phone broke him from his reverie.

Elena opened up the message, read the simple line and frowned.

_One of your friends is a liar._

There was an attachment to the message, and Elena opened the document. Slowly it downloaded.

She blinked a few times to make sense of what she was seeing. Elena looked at the downloaded image and the words Stefan spoke to her only two weeks before came back to her. He had met someone else, someone who surpassed all of his qualifications, expectations, and from the looks of pure rapture on their faces while Stefan pummeled himself into her _best friend_, he wasn't lying.

This _had _to be a joke. Who would do this to her? Who would send her a doctored photo of her best friend fucking her boyfriend? Why would Bonnie have sex with Stefan? None of it made sense, but as she stared at the image-more specifically the interior of the room, Elena knew without a doubt that the picture wasn't fake. It was real. This moment had really happened between them.

Elena shut down. One minute she was filled with warmth and light and the next she was nothing but a void. A cold, black void. Her eyes glanced up, the bottoms filling with unshed tears. The conversations around her began to ebb and she could hear nothing over the pounding of her heart. One minute she stared at Bonnie, smiling, eating, and sitting next to Stefan, and the next her body threw itself across the table, tackling Bonnie out of her seat.

There was a huge pregnant pause as dishes clattered to the floor, chairs were overturned, and the grunts of one determined brunette filled the airwaves.

Elena's fingernails bit into Bonnie's shoulders as she tried desperately to reach for her neck, but Bonnie had wedged a foot between them, and kicked Elena away from her.

Just call me Prophet Tyler because I told Bonnie Elena was gonna whip her ass when she found out, Tyler thought as he rose from the table to watch the ensuing girl fight.

After that all hell broke loose as curses and accusations were shot like arrows at its intended target.

"Elena what the hell is wrong with you?" Bonnie demanded as she rose to her feet.

"You are a damn bitch, that's what's wrong with me."

Caroline too got up from her seat ready to step in if necessary.

Damon looked confused and just a tad bit alarmed. Stefan looked…well indifferent but his attention was completely on Bonnie. Jeremy for his part kept one eye on the argument while he picked up Elena's cell phone.

There on the screen was the proof he had trying to ascertain for the last week in the palm of his hand. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he turned thunderous eyes on Bonnie.

"Excuse me?" Bonnie said icily. Her nostrils flared. "You want to say that again?" her powers were begging, practically pleading for release.

Elena barked a laugh that was as dry as the Gobi Desert. "Don't stand over there and act like you don't know what I'm talking about." She pointed her finger in Bonnie's face. "You've been fucking Stefan _behind _my back all the while smiling in my face and egging me on to be with Damon."

Damon sniffed and folded his arms. What was he now, chopped liver?

And he was the only one still seated at the table.

The anger and wrath that was rapt on Bonnie's face immediately washed away. Her stomach began to bubble like she had gas, her heart danced wickedly behind her sternum. She was caught and there was no way she could deny it because everyone present with the exception of Jeremy knew about her relationship with Stefan.

This, of course wasn't how she wanted Elena to find out. She had every intention of breaking the news over coffee in a very public place so that if Elena wanted to show her ass, she'd remember her decorum because she wouldn't want to do anything to tarnish her reputation as being Snow White of Mystic Falls. And Bonnie knew Elena wouldn't like it, but she never thought her reaction would be quite to this magnitude of one) attacking her, and two) calling her out her name.

A tear slipped down Elena's enflamed cheeks. "How could you do this to me? I love him. You know I love Stefan."

Bonnie stiffened and forced herself not to look at Damon, who—after hearing Elena's declaration—finally got up from the table and stepped behind her.

"E-," Bonnie couldn't get the rest of the syllables out before Elena charged her again. However Stefan stepped in front of Bonnie, though there was no need for she had thrown up a shield which Elena bounced against. Elena growled out of her frustration. She looked just like Katherine right now.

"That's_ enough_, Elena," there was brutal coldness in Stefan's voice. Anyone with a tenth of common sense would take his tone under advisement and back down immediately.

However, Elena was the exception for she was just too emotional and pissed off not to notice the signs that an edict had been issued. She was treading on very dangerous ice by threatening Stefan's mate. Damon was astute enough to pick up the change in his little brother. His stance was clearly defensive, his eyes lost all color and were flat like onyx stones, and the tips of his fangs could be seen. He wouldn't tolerate another attack on Bonnie before getting physical.

Damon saddled just a little closer to Elena. "Down, brother," he said to Stefan.

"You want to be mad at someone be mad at me," Stefan continued.

Elena tried to find a weakness in Bonnie's impenetrable shield so she could slap the taste out of Stefan's mouth. He was in no position to tell her who she should inflict her anger on. For all the times she stupidly put herself in danger just to save his ungrateful ass, he repays her sacrifices by sleeping with her best friend!

Someone was going to go home in a great deal of pain tonight, and Elena decided it wouldn't be her.

"You can shut the hell up, Stefan. I can understand why you would do something like this, but you," she directed her furious eyes on Bonnie who didn't wither. That only served to piss Elena off more. "You're supposed to be my best friend, Bonnie!"

"I am your best friend, Elena. Have you forgotten I was willing to die for you?"

Elena rolled her eyes.

"We can talk about this like civil adults, but don't you _dare _try to put your hands on me again," Bonnie warned her coolly.

Elena fidgeted and cried some more.

Bonnie continued, "What happened between Stefan and I…wasn't planned and it wasn't intentional…"

Elena held her hand in the air, palm facing Bonnie. "Stop lying to me. You've always had a thing for Stefan, always had a soft spot for him, which I took to mean that you valued him as a friend, but now I know the truth. You wanted him from the beginning, but pretended to hate him after you found out he was a vampire. You betrayed me."

"Let's not go there with the betrayal shall we," Bonnie said though clenched teeth. "And you _know _that Stefan was nothing more to me than just a friend. I didn't go after him—,"

"She didn't," Stefan backed her up. "I went after her, Elena," he was smug. "I chased after her, wore her down, and she yielded."

"You're a piece of shit, Stefan," more tears fell down her face and Elena looked away.

"I won't disagree with you on that. But…you try to go after Bonnie again, Klaus' compulsion be damned I won't be so _nice_ about stopping you."

Damon decided now was the time to put in his two cents although he already knew his words of wisdom would be ignored. "That's enough with the threats for one night. I won't let you hurt her, Stefan. Everyone needs to calm down."

"I'm calm," Caroline spurted.

Jeremy, who had been noticeably quiet throughout this exchange had time to slip undetected to his book bag to extract a pencil. While his sister and ex-girlfriend continued to trade insults like baseball cards, Jeremy had managed to work his way behind Stefan.

Pencil cinched in his hand, he took one heroic step forward with the pencil aimed right for Stefan's back.

However, the vampire with excellent senses blindly reached over his left shoulder and caught Jeremy's wrist in his hand.

Elena gasped. Damon blinked—how had he not seen that? Tyler moved closer to Caroline who was trying to put herself in between Elena and Bonnie. She couldn't stand to see her best friends fighting but was glad everything was out in the open. Keeping that secret was like trying to hold her pee. And maybe now that Elena knew about Bonnie and Stefan they might be able to find some way to move beyond this.

But, Caroline was very doubtful that'd be happening anytime this millennium.

With lightening speed, Stefan had flipped Jeremy on his back. The move caused Jeremy to drop Elena's cell phone, which Stefan caught in mid-air, and he was able to pluck the pencil from Jeremy and snap it between his fingers. When the boy was on the floor feeling all levels of embarrassed, Stefan placed his foot on Jeremy's neck to keep him complacent.

"Get the hell off me," Jeremy wheezed, his hands futilely grabbing Stefan around the ankle to try to push him off.

Elena became even more hysterical. "Stefan! Stop! You're going to kill him."

Caroline felt impotent yet bizarrely entertained. "Oh, wow."

Tyler was completely unsympathetic. "Should have known better, Gilbert. You can't sneak up on a vampire."

Damon said nothing only restrained Elena in his arms to keep her from doing something stupid like her brother/cousin.

Naturally while all of this happened in a nanosecond, Stefan reopened Elena's text message and looked at the picture of him and Bonnie—more to the matter him on top of Bonnie. It was a nice picture taken at an excellent angle, and he wondered who the photographer was. They had an apparent Peeping Tom on their hands. He'd find out who later, in the mean time he forwarded the pic to his phone. Ah, memories.

He dropped his chameleon eyes back to Jeremy who was turning slightly blue in the face.

Bonnie touched Stefan on the arm. It was enough to pull him out his spiraling thoughts on how to make Jeremy suffer prior to ending him.

"Let him go, Stefan," she said quietly.

He stared at her, searching her eyes, and with the imperceptible nod of her head, Stefan removed his booted foot from Jeremy's throat. He reached down and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, snatched Elena from Damon's hold and flung both of them towards the front door.

"Dinner's over! Get the hell out!" Stefan ordered. In a flash he was standing back in front of Bonnie, gingerly reached for her hand and ghosted to his room.

The bickering continued on its way out the house, but all Stefan cared about was Bonnie.

Alone in his room, he directed her to have a seat on his bed. The shock of the night was catching up with her and she began to tremble and cry in earnest. The heat coming off her skin was enough to scorch his.

Stefan went into the bathroom to wet a wash cloth and brought it out to Bonnie. She sat there almost paralyzed on the edge of his bed, eyes completely red, mucus streaming from her nose, face splintered with pain.

Stefan fell to his haunches, tipped Bonnie's chin up with his index finger and ran the cloth gently over her face, clearing away her tears.

"Breathe with me," he said to her. They locked eyes and Bonnie began to mimic his deep inhalations and exhalations.

He could kill Elena for this.

"She's never going to forgive me for this," Bonnie mumbled.

"Does it matter? You have me," he said somewhat cheerily.

Bonnie quirked an eyebrow at him and kind of stared at him like he was a space alien. "She's my family, Stefan. And she's right, I did betray her."

"You didn't," he tried to reassure her. "And from what I know about family, families fight all the time. She might not get over it tonight but in time she will. In the interim, you have me." He kissed her forehead.

Bonnie didn't feel it was right to be here with Stefan, in his room, being rewarded with his affection. Not after how everything was exposed and went down. She needed to fix this, fix things with Elena because now that their friendship blew up like Hiroshima, Bonnie felt a void take place in her.

If you saw Elena you saw her and vise versa. They were the Ying and the Yang, could finish each other's sentences, have total conversations with one another without uttering a single word, could read each other like books just based off of facial expressions. Their friendship was tighter and more complete than most marriages and had lasted even longer. Bonnie didn't know a world without Elena in it and Elena didn't know a world without Bonnie in it. To be without that one iron clad relationship she began to feel the way she did when Grams died, as if a piece of her was missing.

Stefan wanted to be Bonnie's more than enough, but he could sense her pulling away, building up a wall because she didn't think she could survive life without the precious Elena Gilbert.

No! He wasn't going to lose her. Not to some misplaced allegiance. Not over some girl he didn't love anymore.

"Bonnie, look at me," Stefan cupped her face to prevent her from not looking at him. "I am yours and you are mine and _nothing_ is going to change that. My blood is your blood. My life is your life. I'm here for you. Forever. That's my vow. You aren't alone. Do you understand me?"

She hesitated before nodding her head. "You're not going to leave me?" her voice was small and child-like.

Stefan kissed her forehead again and wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "No, I'm not going to leave you. You're gonna have to kill me to get rid of me, sorry but that's the only way at this point."

She cracked a tiny smile before it vanished again.

"Well, since the cat is out of the bag, do you want to stay here or go home?"

That's when Bonnie became aware she was sitting on the bed where Elena and Stefan had made love several hundred times before and in that moment she shot off it like a rocket.

"I want to go home," she answered. Stefan nodded his head. He didn't allow her to take one step out of his room before kissing her senseless.

* * *

Across town Elena Gilbert stomped into her house after a very disgruntled Jeremy. So caught up in her anger that she almost slammed the door shut in Damon's face, who stopped it with his hand.

"Gee, thanks," he quipped and closed the door behind him.

Jeremy said nothing as he disappeared up to his room, locking himself inside. Elena stared at his closed door wanting to give him some words of encouragement, but nothing came to mind, then figured he didn't want to hear what she had to say anyways and kept on to her own room.

Damon had followed her but hung back and leaned against the doorframe.

The ride to the Gilberts had been…icy. That was to be expected. Damon had hoped that Elena would have turned to him for some sort of support, but instead she closed herself off, locked herself away in her own emotions, grief, and pity.

He had his pride as well and he wasn't going to stand there and knock on her door. If Elena wanted him around she was going to have to say it.

Before everyone went to their respective vehicles, Caroline had held Damon back and inquired without asking, if he was all right. All he could do was flash his cocky smile and shrug a shoulder. Being rejected and dragged over hot coals and broken glass was nothing new to him.

Elena continued to ignore his existence as she stripped off her ruined clothes. Yeah, jumping over a table meant she became a magnet for gravy, mashed potatoes, and vegetable medley.

He stared at her unabashedly as she thrust her limbs inside a pair of ratty old unflattering flannel pajamas. When she began brushing her hair it was like she was imagining skinning Bonnie alive or something.

"You might want to take it easy there or you'll end up looking like Sinead O'Connor."

His voice made her jump. She had completely forgotten Damon was still lurking around.

"I'm not in the mood for your jokes, Damon."

"Yeah, I noticed." He pushed away from the threshold and walked over to her bed and took off his leather jacket.

"Forget it," she said and sat down at her vanity.

"Look, I understand you're pissed…"

"Ha. What I'm feeling right now…," she let her thought trail off. Elena stared at her reflection as she began speaking again. "Bonnie has to know she has no future with Stefan. The minute Klaus' compulsion is broken everything will be the way it was before."

"You still counting on that?" Damon's question dripped acid. Elena bristled and turned to face him.

"Damon…I'm not like you. I can't just transfer my feelings from one person to the next overnight. I'm sorry but…I can't help the way I feel for Stefan."

Damon chucked humorlessly. "That being said, Elena, then what the hell was the other night? Was it, 'oh, I better fuck Damon and get it out of my system'. And this thing between us didn't just happen overnight."

She bristled even further. "I know and it wasn't like that. The past few nights have been special to me, they mean something. Damon, you know I care about you-,"

"You just love Stefan," he concluded. "Ask yourself this question, Elena. Are you mad that Bonnie hooked up with Stefan _or _are you mad that he obviously has feelings for her when he's not supposed to give a damn about anything for anyone? And maybe your pride and ego and not your _heart_ is what's really hurting."

Elena looked down at her hands. When she brought her eyes back to face him, she was all alone in her room.

* * *

A week after the Great Revelation, Stefan found Bonnie lying in bed on her belly staring blindly out the window. From the looks and smell of her room she hadn't much moved from that spot. She barely went to school and when she was there, she was like a pod person, a shell, there was nothing there.

Elena too walked around Mystic Falls High like a recovering alcoholic. Stefan found all of this highly annoying. Since they were so obviously miserable without the other in their lives what was so difficult about burying the hatchet, making up, and putting themselves more in debt by going on a shopping rampage?

Didn't shopping heal rifts between females?

Stefan sighed as he opened the blinds in Bonnie's room. She turned her head away from the intrusive light.

"You're no fun," he pouted and approached the bed. He sat down on his side and glowered at her. "I want my fun Bonnie back. She was cool."

"Sorry, but she's on sabbatical at the moment."

He snorted. "This mood you've been in has ruined our sex life. We haven't had sex all week!" Stefan was incredulous. "I don't want us to become like an old married couple who do it once a month."

Bonnie pulled her pillow over her head. How in the world was she supposed to get aroused when she felt like death warmed over?

Stefan ripped the pillow off Bonnie's head and threw it across the room. She glared at him and he felt the beginnings of a mini firestorm taking place in his head, but Bonnie gave up and huffed.

"We need a vacation," he said.

"I can't just leave and runaway," she argued.

"Who said anything about running away? We'll be back. In a week. Now get up and get in the shower. Caroline will be here any minute to take you to get dolled up."

"Well call her back and tell her not to come. I'm not in the mood. I don't want to move from this spot. Life sucks."

"Life only sucks because you're making it suck. So what Elena doesn't want to be your friend. She's a bitch."

"Stefan," her tone was reproachful.

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, she's…not a nice person when things don't go her way. Look, last I checked I didn't see a stamp on my ass that said Elena's Property. And she's in no position to judge bedmates. Look at hers," he snickered but then quickly sobered. "Now if this is going to cause problems between _us_, then maybe I need to eliminate the source."

"Yeah, and disobey the great and mighty Klaus? Go ahead."

"I might follow his orders and take his shit because I don't have a choice, that doesn't mean I lick his balls." Stefan paused to listen to something he heard. "Caroline's here. Get up and get in the shower, Bonnie."

"Kiss my monkey, Stefan."

"Love to, but not right now." He pulled the covers completely off Bonnie, snatched her by the ankles and pulled her to the foot of the bed.

Bonnie naturally put up a fight that turned out to be futile as she was tossed over Stefan's shoulder who marched into her bathroom, stuck her in the shower, fully clothed and turned on the water.

She screamed bloody murder as the ice cold water pelted her skin. "You f*cking bastard!"

Stefan puckered up his lips and blew her a kiss. "Ah, there's my girl," he grinned. "I'm going to let Caroline in. When we come back up here I want you so fresh and so clean-clean, you got it?" He pulled the shower curtain closed before Bonnie could give a rebuttal. But then he peeped his head around the curtain. "Don't forget to wash behind your ears."

Bonnie growled as she stripped out of her soaking wet clothes and bathed herself. Twenty minutes later she stomped downstairs and found the vampires huddled around the kitchen island eating leftover pizza.

Caroline beamed at her and snatched her keys. "Ready?"

Bonnie said nothing as she followed behind Caroline like a robot.

"Can you try to get her to smile, laugh, do something other than look so damn _gloomy_?" Stefan asked Caroline.

"I'll try my best but I am no miracle worker."

He walked the girls to the door and stood on the porch. "Have her back here in two hours. Our flight leaves at seven."

"Flight?" Bonnie queried while she opened up the passenger door to Caroline's Fiesta.

"Yes," Stefan answered and stood beside her within an eye blink. "You usually have to fly to travel internationally."

Bonnie just stared uncomprehendingly at him. When she brought her attention to Caroline she noticed that her friend could hardly keep still.

"We're wasting daylight, Bon, get in," Caroline prompted. Bonnie forced herself to sit down and Stefan closed the door.

"Have a good time," he said to Bonnie and looked over to Caroline, "and remember there's no budget."

That was all Bonnie needed to hear. She instantly perked up.

Stefan leaned in the car and kissed her. Caroline rolled her eyes but then smiled.

"Be careful with her," Stefan gave out one last order before slipping away from the car.

While Stefan watched Caroline whip her small car around the corner he didn't see the person sitting in the car across the street watching him…

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thank you for reading!**


	10. The Honeymooner's

**A/N: Just a special shout out to everyone who is reading this for the second, third, or however many times. Love you guys. And to those reading for the first time, thank you for showing my very first multi-chapter fic love. You guys rock!  
**

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**

Bonnie could recall every single vacation and/or destination she had or ever traveled to in her eighteen years of life. She took her first road trip to Sea World in Orlando, Florida at the tender age of six and decided right then and there she wanted to be a zoologist so she could swim with Shamu. Her next major vacation wouldn't take place until she was nine where she and her father had traveled to Europe for ten days over the summer, mostly because there was some conference he had to attend and he couldn't find anyone to babysit her on such short notice, but Bonnie had had a blast.

There was of course class field trips to such spectacular destinations like Honey Creek, Georgia where she became one with the outdoors and returned with so many insect bites she looked as if she contracted Smallpox.

As remarkable and unremarkable as her travels have been, this would mark her first time traveling with a male companion. A male companion who was her undisputed boyfriend. A male companion who was also a vampire.

Let the good times roll.

Bonnie stood swaying on the yacht that Stefan had rented which would take them on the final leg of their journey to their mystery destination. He had told her nothing of where she was, she just knew she was currently somewhere in the western hemisphere possibly below the equator where the sun refused to set.

Not that she minded the sun or the heat. It was fall in Mystic Falls where the temperatures only soared to the low to mid fifties until plummeting to blizzard like temperatures during winter.

This was of course a nice reprieve from the natural disaster that was her life. She immediately switched her thoughts. There was little she could do to rectify what had happened back home.

Bonnie took a step out on the deck and slipped off the white short robe she was using as a cover up. She was thankful for the shades she was wearing otherwise her deep fuchsia two piece bikini surely would have blinded her under the relentless sun.

She felt free here as if she could say whatever was on her mind without fear of recrimination. Could do whatever she wanted without being censored. Could be as open with her mind and body without looking over her shoulder to see who was watching.

Besides there was only one person she wanted to entertain and his initials were SS.

Stefan sat on the skipper's chair overlooking the ocean. There were two people with them, the captain and his first officer. Stefan could have sailed the yacht himself but he didn't want anything to distract him from Bonnie.

She could tell when she had garnered his full attention as she walked across the padded top deck that was designed just for sunbathing. As hot as it was outside, his gaze on her sent her to scorching in no time flat, and Bonnie always found it a little preposterous that his hawk-like gaze could make her shiver.

She sat down against the white padding with her legs stretched out in front of her bent at the knees and took in the cerulean waters that seemed limitless. She admired her French tip pedicure. Her toes sparkled in the sunlight. And she could thank Caroline for talking her into getting waxed. She would have been embarrassed to strut around in the tiny bikini she had donned.

A light breeze wafted through the air sweeping her curls against her caramel skin. Bonnie sighed and inclined her head backwards to catch more of the sun on her face.

The air smelled pure and clean devoid of pollutants, and was it possible that Bonnie felt toxins leaving her body?

When the breeze changed trajectory she knew without looking she had company.

Wordlessly Bonnie swung her legs around and fell against the padding on her belly. She used her crossed arms as a makeshift pillow.

A cold hand touched her skin leaving a white-hot trail as it ran vertically down her spine and over the hump of her backside before resting on her hip.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she just listened to the sounds of the ocean breaking against the nose of the ship.

Lips soon found their way to the crook of her neck and nibbled the flesh there. Bonnie giggled and turned her head away.

"Be careful, my boyfriend is a very hot tempered, possessive vampire who wouldn't think twice about ripping your throat out."

A low growl was the only response to her statement as she felt that same cold hand run across her skin, up to the knot in her bikini top. One string was being pulled loose.

"That's a shame because I'm sleeping with his girlfriend."

Bonnie could feel him grin.

"Lucky girl," Bonnie murmured and felt her top being pulled away from her. She hadn't arched her body to help assist in her undressing. And she wasn't worried about being seen by the crew of the yacht. They had been compelled to get missing whenever she and Stefan were alone.

"You'll burn out here without sunscreen. Let me lather you up."

Bonnie sighed again and melted into the soft padding. She jumped a little when a cold liquid was drizzled on her skin. She may have purred as Stefan began to work the lotion into her flesh.

After her skin was nice and protected from the sun, Stefan wiped his hands clean and then produced a bowl of crimson strawberries seemingly out of nowhere. Picking one up, he traced the outline of Bonnie's lips before dipping it in her mouth. She bit into it.

"Where are we?" she asked. She had been asking that question since they hopped in his car to drive to Richmond. The first flight they took was to Hawaii and Bonnie thought that's where they were going to vacation, but then, Stefan had hustled her off to a small air strip where they boarded a private plane. From there it was a blur. She had lost her sense of time because whenever she woke up from one of her naps, they were in a different time zone. She had no earthly idea where they were going, but something told her they were traveling to some place remote.

This worried her because Stefan had a specific diet which meant he'd need access to a certain fluid. And with less people around…well she wasn't looking to keep him fed for an entire week.

Stefan chuckled lowly. The sound reverberated through her own chest. "Aren't you tired of asking a question you know I won't give you an answer to?" he finished off the strawberry.

Bonnie looked at him over her left shoulder. He was wearing a pair of Aviator shades. Wow this dude has an awesome face, Bonnie thought. It was perfectly symmetrical and fierce. Without the shades Stefan was gorgeous but with them on, not only was he gorgeous but he was dangerous and sexy. If a passing ship with nuns happened to sail by right this second, Bonnie was sure several of them would have jumped ship and thrown in the towel on their celibate life all to spend one night with him.

She bit a corner of her lip.

The change in scenery had been successful in sparking her arousal again. She was hornier than a cat in heat. She could agree and commiserate with Stefan now; a week without loving had been too long.

"I was hoping maybe you'd take pity out on me. I feel like we're on the edge of the world here. I'd just like to know where 'here' is. So sue me."

"I might," he bent over her to bite her right butt cheek. Bonnie squealed and wiggled against him. "We're almost there. We have only an hour left being seaside. And you'll be able to do all those wicked things you mumbled about doing to me while you drooled on my shoulder during our flight."

Bonnie blushed and looked away. She had had very vivid dreams and they were enough to give her some solace, but she craved the real thing.

"Hey, what can I say, it's been a while," she replied.

Stefan loomed over her and whispered in her ear, "It has and I'm going to tear you up…once we're completely alone."

Drip. Drip. Drip. Someone get her a fresh bathing suit stat!

* * *

When the ship docked, and Bonnie was helped off the yacht her eyes ballooned at the sight before her. Going to the beach was nothing new to her, but she had never been to one quite like this. It was picturesque and serene without a speck of litter. She saw no other travelers, tourists, not even locals parading up and down, splashing in the water, or making sand castles. It was completely vacant, but that wasn't what had her transfixed. There was nothing but sandy-white beach as far as the eye could see which merged with the cerulean water that was calm this time of day, whatever time it was.

"We hope you enjoy your stay on Seychelles, Mrs. Salvatore," said the deckhand who was currently handling her luggage.

Bonnie snapped her head in Stefan's direction who was busy giving some final instructions to the dazed looking captain. Her eyes narrowed.

"Did you say…Seychelles?" Bonnie wanted clarification. _And did you just address me as Mrs. Salvatore? _Bonnie would pick that bone with Stefan later. Right now she had a puzzle to solve. Bonnie had heard of the island before and she racked her brain to recall where and most importantly when she's heard the name. When it came to her she gasped and Stefan was standing right beside her.

"Stefan, are we on the island where Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton had their honeymoon?"

He nodded his head, wrapped an arm around her and followed after the deckhand who led the way to their villa.

"Yes, although the royal couple stayed at another private villa. And the water you see, well it's the Indian Ocean."

"Wonderful. And did you tell _everyone_ who _matters_ that we're _married_?"

Again he nodded his head and shrugged his shoulder. "Bonnie Salvatore…has a nice ring to it if you ask me, and besides…if everyone figures you're my wife and not just my girlfriend they won't be tempted to steal you away from me and I won't be tempted to drain them dry," his explanation was delivered very matter-of-fact.

Bonnie snorted and was soon distracted as they walked up a short set of steps and stood in front of their home for the next seven days.

The house, which was perched on a small incline and hidden amongst a plethora of palm and some other unknown trees was a one story ranch style Mediterranean villa that resembled the homes she saw in the Hollywood Hills. It was spectacular and private almost too private which instantly calmed her nerves.

Stefan picked her up and carried her bridal style over the threshold and when he planted her on her feet, Bonnie looked around.

"Where are the doors?"

"We're the only two people on this island. We don't need doors," he rifled through his pockets and counted out several bills handing them over to the deckhand who said "thank you" in his native tongue.

Bonnie thanked him on his way out and he bowed before her and disappeared.

She gulped.

Stefan asked, "I'm going to get a drink. Do you want anything?"

Bonnie shook her head, taking in everything. The villa was stunning and completely open to the elements. There were no doors or walls for that matter. The inside looked more like a posh New York City loft. From the wood beam ceilings and floors, wide open spaces with billowing curtains offering the only privacy. Her eyes glanced around the panoramic view and came crashing into the bed which was basically the focal point of the entire house.

It was massive and covered with protective netting which would serve the purpose of keeping little insects away.

The bathroom was off to the side—sans door. She could see the sink, an oval shaped mirror, and the bathtub that was situated in the floor and was big enough to fit three people comfortably. Adjacent to the bathroom was a Chinese partition which Bonnie figured was suppose to offer a modicum of privacy.

As she walked through the space, on the back end of the property and down a smaller incline, was an outside shower. Hmm.

And farther down was the toilet. At least it had four walls.

The kitchen was on what she would assume as the east end of the villa. All of the appliances were stainless steel and looked brand new. Stefan was already rummaging through the Sub-Zero fridge which thankfully was fully stocked. From what she could see there were a lot of her favorite American foods inside.

That relaxed her tremendously. There was no need to eat something the natives would call comfort food that would only succeed in giving her the runs.

"How do you like our dwelling space?" Stefan asked as he took a sip from a bottle of Coke.

"It's perfect."

"Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm still full from lunch."

"Good. Get naked and then come back out here."

"What?" Bonnie folded her arms across herself in a pitiful attempt to hide her goodies. Although she knew she was completely alone with Stefan, she couldn't escape her American upbringing about stripping in public. Unless you wanted to go to jail for indecent exposure you kept your clothes on at all times.

In an instant, Stefan stood before her, cupping her cheek and inclining her head so he could stare into her eyes. Bonnie's heart began to pound. She could smell the sea on his skin despite the fact neither one of them took a dip in the ocean. And the sun had been successful in warming up his otherwise frosty skin, so his touch was tepid.

"You need a massage," he whispered.

Bonnie felt her head nodding but it did so at its own volition.

"Okay," she said breathlessly.

Robotically Bonnie prodded her way to the bathroom and utilized the partition to strip out of her clothes. She could hear Stefan setting something up in the kitchen/living/bedroom area…it was confusing as to what to call that space and her curiosity was ordering her to look around the partition to see what he was up to, but at the same token she didn't want to ruin the surprise.

Usually when she traveled the first thing she did was check in. Unfortunately she wouldn't have that opportunity since her cell phone was confiscated the moment she stepped foot in the airport. Stefan wasn't playing when he said he wanted her full and absolute attention, but she at least wanted to let Caroline know she was alive and safe.

It didn't take long for her to shed the sarong and the bathing suit. In fact all that had been packed for her were bathing suits, sarongs, and see-through tunics that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. She wasn't sure who she had to thank for that: Caroline or Stefan or perhaps them both.

Bonnie debated for a moment if she should hop in the shower, but then thought against it. Whatever Stefan had planned more than likely she'd have to shower afterwards because things between them turned messy in a New York minute.

A robe appeared out of nowhere and Bonnie gratefully accepted it.

"Thanks," she said.

"I'm going to give you a minute more to collect yourself, and then I want you out here."

Bonnie never really had a problem with authority but there was something in Stefan's authoritative voice that called to her inner submissive side. She liked it. And didn't every girl kind of secretly wish for a man who could take charge?

As she slipped on the chenille robe her mind thought very briefly over their whirlwind…she couldn't use the word romance. Sure they had their romantic moments where she saw the softer side to Stefan's ripper personality, but those were few and far in between. This wasn't exactly how she wanted her personal life to go down at the start of her senior year. She was supposed to be with Apple Pie Jeremy and if their love had been successful in surviving through the year, she'd either be going off to college still dating a guy in high school, or they would have ended the relationship amicably.

Yet it was all safe...boring and in life during certain situations you couldn't play it safe.

But then Stefan happened and everything changed.

Bonnie was still undecided if the change had been for the best, but she was still standing, and she had always liked Stefan even when she didn't trust him after learning his secret. Maybe Elena had been right in her accusation that she wanted Stefan all along and pretended to hate him.

No, Bonnie shook that ridiculous notion away. Stefan had been a friend and nothing more. And sure what girl her age wouldn't have a few erotic dreams about him? Dude was smokin' like a 1970's Gremlin.

What she was feeling for Stefan now far surpassed that tender feeling she got when she was with Jeremy. Stefan could anger her to the point she saw red and blew smoke through her nostrils; he could make her smile like a loon, and had the ability to make her drop her drawers almost on command.

It should have been irrational and illogical to give a single person that much control over her emotions, but she surrendered herself to Stefan and there was very little on the planet that could get her to renege.

Besides she didn't want to.

She and Elena might be beefing right now, but it was worth it, Bonnie surmised.

"I'm ready," Bonnie said prior to stepping around the partition.

In the middle of the room a padded table had been set up. She could smell the alluring scent of heating oils.

Stefan stood on the far side of the table so that he would be the first thing she saw as soon as she stepped out of the makeshift bathroom.

He too had changed out of the white wife beater and his board shirts into a plain white T-shirt that hugged his muscles and white cargo pants. His makeover made Bonnie smile at his thoroughness to play the roll of a licensed masseuse.

Stefan tapped both hands against the table to indicate that's where he wanted her to be.

She approached him holding the robe closed with her hands. As soon as she was near, the room was flooded with the sounds of Robin Thicke's "It's In The Morning".

Bonnie slipped the robe off her shoulders. It fluttered into a puddle around her manicured feet. Stefan's smirk was cocky but he kept his eyes on hers and assisted Bonnie on the table.

Her bottom was covered with a towel while at the same time Stefan ran his fingertips feather-light down her spine.

"Now," his voice was gravelly, "which oil should I use?" He brought several bottles forward. "Apricot?" he waved the open bottle under her nose. Bonnie shook her head. "Vanilla?"

"Love it but I over use it."

"Honeysuckle?"

"Nope."

"Japanese cherry blossom?"

"Bing we have a winner."

Stefan chuckled lowly and drizzled the sweet smelling oil in strategic places along her back and thighs.

Bonnie relaxed against the padded table and closed her eyes.

"I want this to be a sensory stimulation for you, Bonnie. No peeking at any time, and please feel free to moan as loudly as you like," Stefan advised.

Bonnie exhaled loudly and prepared herself for Stefan's magical hands.

There was nothing more—other than blood—that Stefan loved more than touching Bonnie's skin. Because she had an affinity for fire it meant her skin ran a little hotter than a typical humans and when she was aroused Stefan was amazed that she didn't ignite the sheets or him when she climaxed.

And there was nothing more lovely than watching Bonnie cum.

But it wasn't just her skin that he loved to touch but all those microscopic pieces of her that no one had taken the proper time to examine. She was only uptight because she had no proper outlet for her frustrations, and even when she cast spells, Stefan always felt she held a part of herself back.

In hindsight he knew what it was…the magic pushed back so she also had to exercise caution.

And her scent, her scent was probably his second favorite part of Bonnie. When she didn't hose herself down with artificial perfumes, her natural scent reminded him of a meadow—cliched he knew—in addition to burning embers. She had a comfortable scent that could almost transport him back to the 1800's when he used to sneak into the kitchen while their cook prepared cakes and other pastries for dessert. The air that wafted through the kitchen would be a mix of confectioner sugar and dried herbs, a scent that made him feel safe and protected.

Being with Bonnie made Stefan feel like he was staring his humanity in the face yet again.

And this realization should have scared the pants off him, but instead of running from it he ran towards it like a kid with scissors.

"While I'm massing you I'm going to give you a tutorial in kinesiology. I'm going to start with the largest muscle in your back—your lastissimus dorsi."

Bonnie focused on the sound of his voice: deep, reassuring, seductive.

Stefan began to knead the muscle using first the palms of his hands and switching to his knuckles working them over her skin first clockwise and then counterclockwise. Because she was so tiny with both hands on her back, she felt his fingers brush along the sides of her breasts, and he kept doing it which Bonnie took to mean he knew what he was doing and was doing it on purpose.

"Next up, the trapezius better known as your shoulders."

Smoothing his hands upward, he gave a deep tissue massage to her trapezius.

Bonnie wanted to curl her toes.

No one in her life had ever given her a tenth of the attention Stefan had bestowed upon her and for a brief second she allowed fear to flash through her. What if all of this was nothing but a dream and someone was going to pull the plug on it one day.

"Stop thinking about the future," he chastised and walked around the table so that he was positioned mid-body.

"How did…"

"You started tensing, and you do that when you're thinking about something unpleasant."

She had to smile. He knew her so well.

"I'll try my best to clear my mind."

"I have a better assignment for you. Imagine me touching you in all the places you want me to touch you and we'll see if my ESP is as good as I think it is."

"You can't read minds, Stefan."

"Says who?" he laughed. "Go back in your zen mode, please."

Bonnie did what he said and felt his hands gliding down to her legs.

"Now I'm kneading your hamstrings," he demonstrated what he was saying.

His hands moved lower after a moment or two. "Your gastrocnemius," his hands molded to her calf muscle and played with the flesh until it was pliant.

She moaned when he got to her feet and caressed one arch followed by the other and then worked his way back up her body until he stood at her head again.

"Flip over."

The blood was pounding in her body zapping from one erogenous zone to the next. Bonnie kept her eyes shut as she turned over on the table exposing her breasts. Stefan had leaned over her to fix the towel which he kept draped on the apex of her body.

His hands began to work on her deltoids, and she heard when Stefan fell to his haunches as the crinkling of his pants indicated he switched positions. With one hand massaging the curvature of her shoulder, his right hand coursed down between the valley of her breasts, over her abdominals and sliding under the towel.

Oops he lost a finger and Bonnie arched off the table.

She felt his breath fan rapidly against her cheek and shoulder and she so wanted to open her eyes, but kept them glued shut.

She forced herself to concentrate on the sounds her body was making, sounds only a vampire could hear like the blood rushing like a grand exodus through her veins, the humming of her body as a certain part of her became rigid and stood at attention. It was so consuming Bonnie felt like her head was going to pop off.

A few seconds later Stefan pulled his hand away following the course it had taken to reach her jeweled center.

When his hand disappeared off her body she could only assumed that he was licking his finger clean. His groans of satisfaction were a huge indication of that.

She couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes snapped open, she jolted off the table, and she tackled him.

**Six hours later…**

He couldn't move. Every time he tried he was unsuccessful. The only thing he could move where his eyes and even that was a gargantuan effort. What had this girl done to him? She must have used magic. That was the only logical explanation for why he felt paralyzed. Was the house still standing? Stefan couldn't even peel his head off the pillow to check.

Bonnie lay next to him using his chest as a pillow. He felt her gliding her small fingers up and down his right arm but he couldn't move. It was like he was super glued in this one position, completely at her mercy. At any time she liked she could straddle him again and ride him to oblivion and he wouldn't have minded, but he should have the energy necessary to keep her steady on his lap if anything, but he felt completely and utterly drained.

Had this chick turned into a succubus?

"Look, I know I'm dead and I don't need a pulse or oxygen but this is ridiculous."

Bonnie peeled her head off his chest and planted her chin on his pectoral so she could look at him. Unfortunately she could only view his profile. But she did notice that his eyes were rapt on the ceiling and he was trying his best to breathe or do his version of breathing.

She giggled. "What are you saying, Mr. Salvatore? Are you saying I broke your back?"

"Possibly."

Bonnie moved around and straddled him again. His eyes flashed at her dangerously causing her to smirk.

Bonnie leaned over him until they were touching nose to nose. "I've been without you for a week...let's say we're making up for lost time."

"I've gone and done it," he bemoaned.

"What?"

"I've created a monster."

Bonnie laughed and undulated against him. Stefan winced.

"Bonnie, stop."

"Come again?"

"No, thank you."

She chuckled and decided to have mercy on him. Bonnie settled down beside him and Stefan managed to wrap her in his arms and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I think this means something," Bonnie said.

"What?"

"You've met your match."

Stefan tightened his arms around Bonnie and laughed. They settled down and allowed the sounds of the ocean to lull them into a short cat nap. Stefan was out in seconds leaving Bonnie alone with her thoughts.

Unexpectedly they turned to Damon. She frowned and questioned why she was thinking of him at all. Bonnie had to admit that she was worried about him and felt bad for him not sorry for him, but bad because Damon had put himself out there and Elena threw her undying love for Stefan right in his face. No man who was halfway decent should have to suffer that kind of treatment from the woman he loved, and before she left for Richmond with Stefan, Caroline had informed her that Damon took off.

As she craned her neck to watch Stefan slumber, she kissed his shoulder and wondered...why did everyone always fall in love with him first.

To be continued.


	11. The Honeymooner's Pt 2

**A/N: Sorry for the mini delay. Here is the latest.  
**

**Seychelles**

Waking up in the morning with her face pressed between Stefan's shoulder blades, Bonnie couldn't help feeling discombobulated. Her head felt several sizes too big like she drank too much wine at dinner and that's when she realized she hadn't eaten anything since she was aboard the yacht. Her stomach growled, but hunger could wait. Her muscles were simultaneously tight and languid if that were possible and she kind of felt grimy.

So with Stefan still passed out, she kissed his cheek before hopping out of bed, but then hesitated. She observed him while he slept on his stomach, one arm draped over the side of the bed, the other stretched out as if reaching for her. Bonnie nibbled her lower lip and kind of danced around on her feet unsure of what to do. Sighing, she climbed back on the bed and pressed another urgent kiss to his cheek, hoping it would be enough to wake him up.

He didn't budge. _Kick the bed Bonnie_; she didn't but shrugged her shoulders, gathered her toiletry items and took a shower outside for the first time.

It was by far one of her more liberating experiences.

The sun blanketed the area in an orange luminescence which made it feel later than eight o'clock in the morning. As she washed she hummed to herself and wondered what other surprises Stefan had in store for her. Last night had been amazing as usual, and she was hoping he wasn't too drained from their frenetic activities.

"You started without me."

Bonnie spun around, almost dropped the soap and watched as Stefan approached her, his schlong swinging like a pendulum. When he was in reaching distance she tossed her soapy arms around his shoulders, angled her head perfectly and kissed him.

"You were sleeping like the dead," Bonnie said after discontinuing the kiss. "And I figured after last night you would want to catch up on your beauty rest."

Stefan indicated with the twirling of his index finger for her to turn around which she did affording him the opportunity to scrub her back. He spotted a few discolored bruises manly around her lower back and hips. Hmm. Perhaps he had used a bit too much pressure during their coitus but not once had she made any kind of protest that he was hurting her.

And it wasn't his intent to hurt her, but thanked his lucky stars he was with someone who could support his weight.

"Are you sure we haven't swapped personalities in the last few days?" he queried and washed her shoulders, alternating between using his hands and pressing butterfly kisses against her skin. He couldn't get enough of touching or kissing her. Maybe it was because she was doll-size?

"What do you mean?" Bonnie smiled as she rinsed the anterior portion of her body, and then switched positions with Stefan so he could stand under the showerhead. She began to lather him up.

"I feel…I don't know…mellow or some shit like that. And you've always been kind of a low-key type of chick yourself. Therefore, I think, we've swapped temperaments for the moment." He grinned. "You couldn't keep your hands off me and usually it's the other way around."

"And I find it hard to believe that you minded."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. In fact I like it."

Bonnie stood on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "If you care to hear my theory I think it's just the change in environment. Here, since we're basically living outdoors I feel more connected to nature and to nature's nocturnal predators if you catch my drift."

"So then you're saying you're pretty much horny all the time?"

Bonnie began to scrub his scalp enthusiastically. "No, not to that extent but I do feel more…animalistic."

His body began to respond to the purr in her voice. He spun around, captured Bonnie in his arms and kissed her like he was trying to spit shine her tonsils.

With pretty much everything he did, Stefan was aggressive but still somehow managed to handle her with care. And with such dual sides of him working at once, Bonnie wondered how was it that he was able to rein it all in whenever they were alone together? And speaking of them being alone together, even though they had sex several times last night, right now her blood was boiling for him again. Even leaving the bed to go take care of personal needs had taken a huge effort on her end because she quite simply didn't want to leave him, afraid she might miss something. Bonnie could equate that feeling to a mom and her newborn.

"Stef…what's going on between us?" she had to know.

"We're together. It's me and you."

"I know that but I'm talking about…internally what's happening? When I'm not with you I start to feel anxious, and when we're together…it's like I can't get enough. I can't stop touching you, or wanting to be next to you. That can't be normal."

"Define normal," Stefan stared intently in her eyes. "Astrologists would call it synergy. We feed off one another's energy; when we're forced to be apart it can become physically painful. I read it can sometimes happen between two supernatural beings from different species, but it's very rare."

She mulled over what he said before asking. "How rare?"

Stefan thought for a moment. "Pairings such as ours probably only happen every few centuries or so."

"Wow, that is rare."

"Yes, it is."

"Do you ever worry about the compulsion breaking?" This was a question she had been avoiding to ask like the plague. His answer could make or break them and Bonnie was hoping naturally for a positive response.

However, when Stefan's silence became deafening, Bonnie felt her heart plummet into her stomach.

He sensed the shift in her emotions and tightened his hold on her again, kissing her forehead. Not that he spent too much time thinking about the possibility of Klaus' compulsion breaking, it was a thought that would pop up every once and a while, and of course he ignored it. But it was a question which deserved some introspection and an answer.

"We'll cross that bridge if we ever get to it."

Bonnie shook her head. "You gotta give me something here, Salvatore. I'm putting a lot on the line and I've probably lost one of the few most important relationships in my life. I don't want this all to be in vain if the 'big day'," she used air quotation marks to emphasize her point, "comes and everything blows up in my face."

"Bon, I see what you're saying but for me right now that is a non-issue."

Bonnie opened her mouth to protest which Stefan silence her by putting his index finger against her lips.

"Hear me out. I know what I feel when I'm with you and it's a feeling I would fight to keep with everything that makes me a man…and a vampire. If the compulsion was to break right this instant, it would take a lot," he ran his eyes over her and it made Bonnie flush, "_a lot _to get me to leave this place without you."

He cupped her cheeks and forced her to look at him. "Hey," he said gently, "I wouldn't be able to forget you, not in a million years."

They showered together until the water ran cold.

* * *

After showering and dressing and perhaps having a quickie or two, together they prepared breakfast dancing around the kitchen in their underwear and singing horribly to downloaded music.

The first activity of the day was jet skiing. Being natural competitors Stefan and Bonnie raced up and down the coast, scaring the fish, splashing each other kind of ruthlessly. Stefan had to illustrate how acrobatic he was by cutting somersaults through the air.

"Show off!" Bonnie laughed and cranked the gas, shot through the water like a hot knife through butter, changed trajectory in a sixty degree arch that caused a wall of water to erupt in the air.

About mid-way through, Bonnie jumped on the back of Stefan's as he raced towards the sun out into the Indian Ocean until she could barely make out the villa. If someone was standing on the beach trying to find them, they would have been nothing more than a dot.

An hour later they went back to the villa to grab something to snack on, change into attire that was more suitable for hiking, grabbed their gear and headed out on foot to explore the beach.

There were two major caves Stefan wanted her to see. The first cave was just your average run-of-the-mill cave that was filled with sparking water and exotic stones. Bonnie had oohed and awed and snapped plenty of pictures, but she didn't dare jump into the water below. Because the cave was part subcutaneous, there was no direct sunlight, so it went without saying the water would be freezing.

The second cave wasn't so much a cave but rather a canyon which was surrounded by hundred foot tall trees. Carefully putting one foot in front of the other to avoid falling into hidden pits, Bonnie looked around at the rust colored albeit jagged rocks that enshrined her. It was beautiful but not really a place she wanted to spend a lot of time. She was two seconds from feeling claustrophobic when the canyon widened and she and Stefan could walk side by side instead of in a straight line like ants.

"This is really beautiful," she said and took pictures of the interesting fauna that was around. The plants were striking which meant they could possibly be poisonous as well. She giggled because being here kind of reminded her of Pandora if Pandora were real.

"There's more here than just rocks," Stefan said.

"What?"

Not two seconds later thousands of butterflies began to converge on them. Bonnie steeled herself against screaming. She liked butterflies—loved them in fact—just not a whole bunch of them at one time.

The butterflies ranging in a litany of colors and sizes began to swarm around her, some stopping by and landing on her shoulders, in her hair, on her outstretched fingertips. One even landed on her nose and she got a bird's eye view of what they look like up close. Fascinating. And a little ick. After about twenty minutes of satisfying their curiosity Bonnie was ready to leave.

For dinner Stefan had chartered a boat that would take them to the capital city of Seychelles, which was aptly named Victoria. There Bonnie had the opportunity to do a little souvenir shopping and to mingle with the locals. Surprisingly almost everyone she encountered spoke some form of English, but she quickly learned that the main language was Seychellois Creole, that she left up to Stefan to translate.

They dined on fresh tilapia, rice and vegetables she didn't know the names of, but everything tasted spicy and of course the rum she consumed only heightened her taste buds. Once she was satiated a group of giggling women approached her, more to the matter Stefan, and Bonnie could do nothing more but sit back and watch. From their mannerisms—the young women—they were probably a year or two older than her were very inquisitive about Stefan but their eyes would occasionally dart to her. They gave a squeal of excitement when Stefan inclined his head towards Bonnie. One of the women grabbed her by the arm and tried to pull her out of the seat, but Bonnie didn't budge.

Was she being abducted and Stefan was just going to sit there and let it happen?

"What's going on? What do they want?"

"They asked me if you were my wife, and I told them you were, and then they wanted to know if you're American, and I said you are, and they wanted to know if it would be all right for them to show you a traditional dance a new wife performs for her husband. I told them sure."

"Stefan!" she growled and was subsequently yanked out of the chair.

He chuckled while he watched Bonnie being carried away. Not two seconds later he was tapped on the shoulder and invited to play cards with a few gentlemen who were sitting nearby.

Bonnie observed Stefan as he smoked a cigar and played Poker with the locals throughout her impromptu lessons.

"You look like Tony Montana," she said lowly as she rotated her hips in a figure eight. Being a cheerleader had come in handy since she was required to learn choreography very quickly, so after half an hour of instruction she was ready to debut her dance.

But the smell of rain threatened to shorten the performance.

Stefan turned around in his seat to face her, admiring the way her rust colored sarong whispered against her legs as she swayed her hips to and fro.

In the background he heard several of the men he played cards with make lewd comments about his sugar muffin.

He flashed back around to face them. They saw the devil in his eyes and immediately shut off all further commentary.

Bonnie was undeniably hot and off-the-charts sexy and sure men could look and admire, but they better not touch nor disrespect her while he was in the near vicinity. For a second he thought maybe she should hold off in showing him what she learned until they were in a more private setting. But a band of musicians kind of materialized out of nowhere and began playing a song that sounded a lot like reggae.

The dance was not dissimilar from what you'd see countries in the Caribbean, a lot of twirling and swaying of the hips and mostly sliding your feet across the floor executing dips and turns. It was mostly a dance of sensuality, which caused Stefan's pants to tighten.

A loud clap of thunder startled everyone in the square. Some ran for cover under tin awnings while the more seasoned veterans remained seated at their tables to finish their meals.

Bonnie felt the temperature drop and the moisture rise. She was ready to go. They looked at one another and the transmission was received.

Stefan slapped enough money on the table to cover their meal and the tip and wasted no time whisking Bonnie away to the boat.

It became a race against nature as Stefan throttled the boat across the ocean before the rains came down. Bonnie held on for dear life and watched the lightning as it sparked between a patch of heavy clouds. Hopefully they'd make it back to the villa in time.

* * *

Well, as much as they tried to avoid bad weather it found them anyways. Around midnight, the skies opened and heaven poured. Bonnie was worried about the furniture getting wet, mildew and mold, but Stefan being the free spirit that he was, ran head first into the monsoon.

Lightening danced between the brooding clouds illuminating the beach and the water. However, the sound of thunder was absent.

"Get out here, Bonnie!"

"What! Are you nuts? It's freaking lightning, Stefan! I don't know about you but I'm not trying to take a bolt up the ass."

"Says the woman who can char this entire beach with a single thought. Get out here."

"Nope."

Letting out a growl that didn't have a hint of malice, Stefan stomped back inside the villa, completely and totally drenched. Bonnie gave chase and ran around like a chicken with no head until she had no place left to go and found herself being hoisted over his brawny shoulder.

"Do you enjoy acting like a caveman? You're always throwing me over your shoulder."

He slapped her butt and within seconds stood outside in the elements. Bonnie squealed and attempted to find some way to get off Stefan's shoulder, but his grip was Kung-Fu tight.

"I wouldn't have to go to such measures if you'd obey me the first time."

For that she gave him a wedgie. Stefan almost dropped her.

In a single heart beat she was on her feet, facing him. The lightening was like a strobe light, highlighting the chiseled features of his face. Bonnie couldn't turn her gaze away, and reached up to caress his cheek, the tip of his nose, and finally his lips.

Stefan took her in his arms and before she knew it, they were dancing, chest to chest, hip to hip, his hands planted firmly on her backside, Bonnie's hands on his chest grinding to the music playing in their heads.

Stefan opened his mouth, Bonnie did the same and they merely shared breath. He flicked his tongue against her lips, Bonnie slid hers out and circled the tip of his tongue with hers.

"I could do this all day," Stefan confessed.

Bonnie stopped moving and stared at him seriously. "So why don't you?"

He stilled for a moment, but then grabbed her by the back of the neck. Their lips connected, tongues dueled, teeth clashed.

Stefan's over-eager hands ripped her tunic to shreds. Bonnie's hands followed suit, ripping his T-shirt straight down the middle, those same hands burrowing inside to feel as much flesh as they possibly could. Their lips smacked together as if they were starved people eating for the first time in a decade. Bonnie felt her lungs burning for oxygen but there was no way in the world she could pull away from the tailspin being intimate with Stefan always sent her on.

Her feet began to push him back in the direction of the villa. On the way they stumbled into trees, up the steps, and then fell flat on the floor.

She didn't have the patience to wait for Stefan to get to his feet and carry them over to the bed, so she levitated them.

Vaguely the vampire was aware he was floating over to the bed, but he was simply too busy devouring Bonnie's pliable lips to really notice his feet weren't standing on anything substantial.

The protective netting was separated and Bonnie carefully deposited them on the bed, not ever breaking contact with Stefan, never ceasing in their kiss.

She sat upon him and he held her upright finally breaking away from her lips to suck on her jaw, neck, and moving lower still.

Bonnie hissed, raked her nails over his back. He groaned. She was successful in drawing blood, and when she felt the wet substance against her fingers, she pulled her hand to her face. For a moment she merely stared at Stefan's blood uncomprehendingly. All the while he was quite busy entertaining himself with her breasts.

When he noticed that she was no longer making any noise of enjoyment, Stefan pulled his head up and caught the scent of his own blood.

He first looked at Bonnie and saw that her eyes were staring intently at her fingers.

"Bonnie…?"

She said nothing, only brought her fingers up to her mouth and sucked his blood from them while gazing into his bluish-gray eyes.

Stefan gasped. Now _that_ was the single most erotic thing he had ever seen Bonnie do.

This naturally spurred an idea. Stefan opened up his wrist and offered it to Bonnie. Wordlessly she accepted.

"My blood is your blood. My life is your life. I am yours and you are mine." He repeated the words he said to her on the night of the disastrous dinner party.

His fangs elongated and Bonnie angled her neck. She tensed as she felt him sinking his fangs through skin, and muscle to reach the fat veins beneath. Together they drank from one another.

But this wasn't enough for Stefan. He wanted to be _in _her as they fed from one another. Very swiftly he changed their position to missionary and joined his body with hers.

Once she had her fill and her body began to move against Stefan's, Bonnie looked to the sky and muttered:

"Forever."

The rain beating against the rooftop made an interesting soundtrack to the experience.

* * *

Stefan felt different. Off. No, not off but changed like he somehow gave birth to himself if that made sense. His head was resting in Bonnie's lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. All morning they alternated between talking, eating, and…dare he say it…making love.

_Gah, _he thought. The phrase was just too mushy for him but there was nothing else out there to describe what they had been doing. Last night, as they drank from one another they entered into another realm of connectivity, another dimension of cohesiveness. He felt alien as if a piece of him had been invaded and he too had invaded an extraterrestrial planet. He was colonized.

He knew what it was. It was Bonnie. Drinking from a human, having that human drink from you and copulating at the same time meant the birth of some deep and strong connections. And of course he would choose to do this with a witch of all people!

_F*ck, _Stefan felt like he was going to fly apart. And the reason for it was that if anything, and he meant ANYTHING were to happen to the woman who was running her little fingers through his hair, there might be a nuclear explosion, meltdown, a freakin' cataclysmic event that nothing could stop.

He was worried.

_Is this what love feels like? _Bonnie thought as Stefan's hair tickled her fingers. She felt full like a tick—good analogy—she reflected, in addition to feeling as if she swallowed the planet. Bonnie couldn't escape the idea she may have inadvertently cast a spell last night.

Anytime there's a blood exchange and words are uttered something irreversible can happen. Bonnie was pretty sure she was safe. But the sensation that was burning her chest gave her cause to worry. It was like an explosion of pent up energy and feelings coating her insides sticking to dark and dormant places within her heart.

Stefan was her heart. Irrevocably. If anyone tried to separate them…it wouldn't be pretty for that individual.

Bonnie rationalized her sudden possessiveness should bother her, but she was simply too happy to pay any mind to impending consequences. People could live ninety years and never feel this way for another person. She had made up her mind she wasn't going to fight it or run from it.

Not if Stefan was willing to walk through the fire with her.

"What's your favorite movie?" she asked to break up the silence.

"_American Psycho_."

"Favorite TV show?"

"Dexter."

Bonnie giggled and leaned over him to kiss his wrinkle free forehead. "Do you like anything that doesn't involve serial killers?"

"Teletubbies."

Bonnie cackled long and hard. From the expression on his face it was easy to see he was being completely serious.

Stefan sat up in bed, his face a mask of perfect unblemished stone. "What's so funny? Isn't everyone allowed to have one guilty pleasure? Mine just happens to be those odd creatures that I have no idea if they're supposed to be oversized teddy bears or mutated farm animals."

Bonnie laughed even harder, laughed until her stomach hurt.

"H-how…l-l-long have you w-watched the Teletubbies?"

"I accidentally stumbled upon them one night when I couldn't sleep. I equate them to watching goldfish swim."

"Riigght," Bonnie drew out the word and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Yeah, you think I'm bad, I can tell you Damon is a closet Wow! Wow! Wubbzy fan."

That did it! Bonnie was going to suffocate from depriving herself of oxygen because she couldn't stop laughing.

"You are so retarded." When she sobered, Bonnie licked her lips. It was time for a subject change. For as long as she's known him both biblically and casually, Bonnie didn't know much about him. A memory came to her.

She was back in Mr. Tanner's history class trying her best to become invisible when the asshole targeted her. Bonnie guessed an answer to his question which the turd immediately struck down, and he wasn't nice about it either. But Stefan came to her rescue and duked it out with the shrimp of a man, and he did so fearlessly and masterfully. It wasn't hard for Stefan to remember important dates in history considering he lived through most of it. However, it was his firsthand experience she wanted to know about.

"Stefan, what was life like back in the 1800's?"

Stefan lifted his eyebrows. "Just watch _Gone With the Wind _it pretty much sums up that time period."

Bonnie shook her head. "I want to hear it from your perspective. Please?"

He couldn't resist her when she said the magic word please and batted those ridiculous eyes at him. Stefan flipped on the bed to rest on his side, his elbow propping his head up.

"Life back then wasn't all that different from what it is now. There was still illegal activity, back door deals being made, people lying, cheating, and stealing. The big noticeable difference was the way people dressed. Women were pretty much covered up from head-to-toe, which blew and us men folk had to wear top hats any and every time we stepped outside. Back then your family name was either your ticket in society or the way to get cast out of it. Reputation was law.

"Another difference was currency. Back then there was so much you could get for practically nothing. I remember this one time Damon and another of our neighborhood friends…Reginald I believe his name was, dared me ten cents to play this practical joke on my father."

"Ten cents? Wow, ya'll were such high rollers back then," she said dryly.

"Hey," his tone was somewhat defensive. "Ten cents could buy you a whole lot of snacks during that time. I could buy five pieces of saltwater taffy, a bag of popcorn, and a soda for ten cents."

Bonnie giggled but continued to listen raptly.

"Anyways I took the bet because a week prior I lost my allowance to them. Damon…managed to find out the color of Elizabeth Fell's bloomers. And I should tell you they ranged in three colors: white, black, and if you were a harlot—red.

"So, the bet was to swap my father's talc with itching powder. Damon decided to create a diversion to keep our father annoyed long enough for me to do it. I was nervous like a hooker in church, but I did it.

"That same day Giuseppe had to give a speech to members of the Council. Damon and I were there and sat in the far back. About three minutes into his long-winded speech he began to scratch his pits, shoulders, stomach, even the crack of his ass. That day we learned about our father's hygiene habits or I should say lack thereof.

"Mrs. Beaufort who was the resident gossip had whispered to her co-instigator that she believed Giuseppe contracted The Itch that was talked about in the Old Testament of the Bible. Damon and I howled like wolves after we heard that.

"Naturally he was in a pisser of a mood when we got home. He so was furious we thought he might give himself a stroke—was hoping for it actually- but he calmed down long enough to interrogate us relentlessly for three hours straight.

"I was close to cracking. I hated being in the same room with Giuseppe when he was dispensing one of his legendary tongue lashings. Damon had kept his composure throughout; he was pretty much used to being on the receiving end of our father's wrath. But when he noticed that I was about to sing like a canary, he shot up from his chair and confessed to replacing the talc with itching powder."

Stefan paused in his story, his face reflective. Bonnie sat up and observed the memories that were flashing over his face.

His jaw ticked. "Our father…beat Damon with a leather strap. He struck him twenty-one times. Damon couldn't walk properly for two days."

Bonnie gasped.

"He was only eleven at the time," Stefan finished.

"My lord…" Bonnie whispered. She had never known anyone who was abused as a child, maybe neglected in the area of attention, but never physically beaten. Her heart went out to Damon.

Stefan made a noise in the back of his throat and looked at her. His eyes burned with remembrance of his less than spectacular childhood living under the same roof as Giuseppe Salvatore. But also reflected there was gratitude for having an older brother like Damon who would sacrifice himself to keep him safe.

"For over a century the two of you have tried to kill or hurt one another, but you're there for each other when it counts. You love your brother and he loves you."

"I don't like him," Stefan mumbled dryly.

Bonnie smiled. "He does make it hard to like him, but he's proven he can be an honorable man… when it benefits him at least," she grabbed his hand and interlocked their fingers. "Thank you, Stefan for sharing that with me."

He cracked a smile but it faded just as quickly. He really didn't like reliving his tumultuous childhood. It made him _feel _things.

"I believe it's your turn to share with me a funny and/or humiliating childhood memory."

Bonnie immediately clammed up. There wasn't much to tell that he didn't already know or couldn't figure out. Her life had revolved mostly around her grandmother and friends. And Bonnie was sure Elena had shared enough of their childhood antics with Stefan that he didn't need her to fill in any blanks.

"There's nothing to tell," Bonnie said.

"Yeah right. I know you're relying on the hope that in all our many talks Elena revealed telling details about your childhood. Sorry to burst your bubble, but she didn't. Now dish, as Caroline would say."

"All right fine. Should I tell you about the time we tricked Matt and Tyler into skinny dipping, took pictures of them and threatened to turn them into holiday greeting cards?"

Stefan chuckled but shook his head. That wasn't really an image he wanted ingrained in his mind.

"Or, should I tell you about the time I spiked my father's coffee with belladonna so I wouldn't have to be dragged to this family function because I wanted to see _Wild Things _with Caroline and Elena despite the fact we were severely underage?"

"Bingo, we have a winner."

"Okay," Bonnie sat up in bed and crossed her legs lotus style. "I don't remember what grade we were in but we had the whole operation planned out. We had paid this senior—I forget his name—five dollars apiece to get us tickets since he was eighteen. We were supposed to meet up with him no later than six o'clock for the seven o'clock showing so he could sneak us in. He worked at the theater and had a nice little side business selling Rated-R movie tickets to minors.

"All day long I was on the phone with the girls checking in to make sure they were still game. Elena's mom was going to drop us off at the deli which was only a block away. We were going there under the guise of studying for some test or whatever and would be there until they closed which was at ten.

"So, an hour before Mrs. Gilbert was due to pick me up, my father stomped into my room and said to get dressed for dinner at my uncle's. I whined, threw tantrums, cried, _nothing _I did could get him to change his mind. So I'm thinking I'm completely screwed until I remembered my grandmother would sometimes use belladonna to help her sleep. She kept it in the kitchen so I offered to make my father a cup of coffee, he accepted, I spiked it and he drank it. Twenty minutes later he was out like a light and I was off to see a penis for the very first time.

"We were so nervous and felt like any minute we were going to get cold busted by either Caroline's mom, my dad, or Mrs. Gilbert. Luckily nothing of the sort happened.

"It was my first time seeing a sex scene; my first time seeing a threesome; my first time seeing girls kiss. I think I spent most of the movie with my eyes closed and it wasn't until Kevin Bacon's character was in the shower, that Caroline wrenched my arm free and there it was…his penis.

"I thought it would be bigger," she snickered. Stefan chuckled. "But…that night was singularly the most thrilling and terrifying experience of my life."

"Did you get caught?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Daddy was still drooling on himself when we finally made it home. I did call my uncle prior to leaving to let him know we wouldn't make it to cover my bases. Caroline couldn't stop talking about it for weeks."

Stefan was amazed. "Why does it not surprise me you've all been schemers and liars since you were tweens."

"Yeah, that's the power of emerging hormones. Nothing will stop you in the pursuit of seeing someone's private parts."

"And you're lucky you didn't kill your father. Belladonna is very dangerous."

"I know. And trust me I never did it again after that."

He tapped her knee with his closed fist before jumping out of bed. Bonnie watched as he padded over to their luggage and picked up a suitcase. He threw it on the bed and opened it.

Inside Bonnie saw nothing but frilly lingerie.

"All this taking a walk down dysfunctional memory lane has made me nostalgic. Now who's ready to unleash her inner Mae West or Lena Horne?"

She blinked. "What?"

Stefan waved his hand over the suitcase. "I didn't tell you I have a fetish for vintage lingerie? Corsets, thigh high hosiery, feather boas, garter belts? No? I didn't tell you?" he asked perfunctorily.

"Are we role playing now?"

He winked at her. "Not exactly more like you giving me a private show as I take pictures. Sound good? Good."

Stefan reached over for Bonnie taking her by the hands and pulled her to her feet. The minute her feet touched the floor, Stefan stripped her out of the button down, it was his button down actually, and began to dress her like she was his personal doll.

How anyone can breathe wearing this contraption, Bonnie wondered as Stefan tightened the laces to the cream and ivory corset that was bedazzled with authentic Swarovski crystals. As uncomfortable as it was, it made her boobs look good.

It took some doing for her to sit down, and when she did, Stefan fell to his haunches and rolled the nude thigh high up her leg, took a second to kiss her knee, before attaching it to the garter. Bonnie had performed a spell to transfigure her hair into something that was very Marilyn Monroe-esque.

Once she was dressed and hardly breathing, Stefan took pictures of her on the bed, in the kitchen, on the beach, every and anywhere he could think of. He took far shots of her capturing her whole body, close-up shots where he photographed nothing but her face. He took pictures of her in and out of focus believing the contrast would be interesting. She simply had so many angles it was astonishing it wasn't until now he was realizing that.

After a while Bonnie kind of ignored what he was doing as she settled down to watch season two of _The Tudors._

Mid-way through the third episode she was growing irritated with the sound of his black and white film camera clicking.

"You haven't run out of film yet?"

"Nope," he plopped the word and took a picture of Bonnie flipping him off. "But I do think I've captured enough of you wearing this outfit. It's time for a wardrobe change."

Bonnie huffed and rose from the couch. Stefan was happily following behind her heels and purposely bumped into her once they reached the bed. Bonnie fell over but caught herself so there she stood doggy style with Stefan applying pressure from behind.

He clicked the camera one final time. Bonnie looked at him over her shoulder.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked.

He thrust his hips forward so she could get the message.

Bonnie nodded her head. "Thought so."

"We should make our last night in Seychelles memorable."

Alarmed she craned her neck backwards to look at him again. "Our last night? We're going back to Virginia?"

"No," he began to untie the laces in the corset. "We're going to Dubai for the next three days, and end our trip with an overnight stay in Sydney, Australia."

Bonnie's eyes bugged out of her sockets. Dubai was one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and Australia had always been a fantasy destination for her. The man currently undressing and grinding behind her was simply amazing!

The minute she was free of the constricting corset, Bonnie fell to her haunches facing him to show _her_ appreciation.

_Oh wow, _Stefan thought and sighed happily. His life was now complete.

* * *

Bonnie had located her cell phone buried in the bottom of the vintage lingerie suitcase. She had half a dozen missed calls and three text messages. Stefan was currently singing in the shower. She wondered if it would be safe to check her messages hoping the water from the shower would prevent him from listening in.

Bonnie chanced it and listened to the first message which was from an energetic Caroline. She had expressed her happiness that Bonnie had basically been kidnapped, and threatened her with bodily harm if she forgot about her when she inevitably went shopping. The next two were from the bubbling blonde but the change in the pitch of her voice said she was trying her best not to freak out because she had yet to hear from Bonnie. Bonnie would have loved nothing more than to respond back but she knew the international charge would be astronomical.

"Sorry, Caro, I'll call you as soon as I step foot in Mystic Falls," she vowed.

When she opened up her text messages, two were again from Caroline which she quickly read. The final text message was from…

"Damon," Bonnie covered her mouth and looked in the direction of where the shower was located.

Stefan was still singing.

Her eyes quickly glanced over the message: _Still breathing, Judgey?_

Would it be bad manners on her end if she responded to Damon's text but not Caroline's? Doggone Stefan and his tale of Damon taking a beating for him when they were young. Sighing, Bonnie quickly replied with a simple response: _Yes. _

Bonnie cut the power but not before she received another text message.

Opening it, she fully expected to see a response from Damon, but the text was from an unknown number.

"I miss you," she read aloud.

Hmm.

Was it from Jeremy? _Damon? _Now that was preposterous and why would he be texting her from an unknown number?

Bonnie heard almost at the next to last minute Stefan coming back up the stairs. She hastily re-buried her cell phone in the bottom of the suitcase, and threw herself over the bed.

Stefan hadn't fully dried himself before he jumped on top Bonnie, kissing her.

When he pulled back he searched her eyes. They looked sad.

"Stop thinking about my brother."

Chapter end.


	12. Return to My So Called Life

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the reviews! Here's the next one.  
**

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to The Vampire Diaries. The characters belong to LJ Smith and the The CW. Copyright infringement is not intended.

**Sydney, Australia**

"Stefan! They're coming after me!"

"Bonnie! Paddle! Do something, girl!"

"Can't you fly over here and get me?" she pleaded.

"I'm currently busy at the moment," he grunted and avoided another snap of a pair of large jaws that were determined to find out if he was well done or extra crispy.

Bonnie swallowed and subsequently spat out another liter of water as she tried to find her footing on her surf board, but her wet suit was kind of making it impossible. When she looked behind her, Stefan's head bobbed up and down out of the water. He was currently trying to manhandle a great white shark. The idiot!

She flipped around on her board and paddled to get closer to him. When she was less than a meter away she saw Stefan being submerged once more but then, he kind of flew out of the ocean and landed on her board with a loud smack. He was missing his shorts so he was currently mooning the people of Bondi Beach.

Bonnie laughed.

"See," he panted as he turned over on his back. "I told you they were friendly."

"They're sharks, Stefan. Predators. There's not a friendly bone in their body," she studied the water. "Is it gone? Dead?"

"I believe so," he looked doubtfully at the water and then quickly straddled the board. "You better climb on top of me."

Bonnie did so as Stefan began to paddle them back to shore.

"What are you going to do about pants?" she asked straight into his ear canal.

"Well it's a good thing we're headed towards a beach where clothing is optional. So I'll fit right in."

Now that was one more thing Bonnie could cross off her Things I Should Have Said No To But Did It Anyways List: shark baiting. Earlier they had met with a personal tour guide who showed them the best of Australia's wildlife. She had fed a pair of Koala bears eucalyptus leaves, outran a sloth, and fed bananas to spider monkeys. Naturally all of that was too tame for Mr. Adventure. He wanted to do something which would give him a definite adrenaline rush.

Case in point she ended up in shark territory with nothing more substantial to protect her than a surf board and her hopes and dreams while Stefan jumped head first to live out a childhood fantasy.

Seriously what was up with men voluntarily putting themselves in danger to feel ten feet tall?

When they made it back to shore, Stefan stood proudly with his hands on his hips. He was giving quite a show to a pair of old ladies who began to whisper rapidly to one another.

"Sheilas," Stefan winked and took the surf board from Bonnie and captured her hand. Bonnie for her part just shrugged her shoulder and followed after him. At this stage she could pick and choose which battles to fight with Stefan.

Two hours later…

They stood on the Sydney Harbour Bridge that overlooked the Opera House but their gazes were fixed to the sky above as magnificent fireworks lit the air. This was their final night on what had been the most awesome vacation of Bonnie's life. If she were to be honest with herself she never wanted this moment to end, didn't want to go back to Virginia and resume her nightmare of a life. She could stay in this moment with Stefan from here to eternity.

She sighed happily when she felt Stefan's arms tighten around her middle. Everything just felt too surreal like this was happening to someone else and not her.

Her head fell back until it crashed against Stefan's chest. Later they had plans to hit up the social scene though Bonnie wouldn't have minded staying locked in their hotel room and making love until her bones felt like they had been liquidated.

"Thank you, Stefan," she said.

He didn't have to question what she was thanking him for. Stefan knew. He rested his chin on the crown of her head.

"You're welcome."

**Mystic Falls, Virginia**

Stefan was back. Yea! Now Elena could have a legitimate excuse for pouting. With his little brother out of the way she should have been having the time of her life, kicking up her heels, but no she spent that time as Alaric's little private investigator and put herself in harm's way by interrogating Rebekah on her family's history.

Not Damon's idea of a fun time.

Stefan had showed up around…sometime just after dusk. Damon was in his room reading because he wasn't tired. He had taken a few days off himself to clear his mind and rein in his inner psychotic tendencies. Part of Damon wondered when the other shoe would drop in the whole Elena saga. He just hadn't expected it to happen quite so soon after nailing her.

As he was thinking over all this he heard his brother dumping what sounded like suitcases on the floor while he was on the phone with Bonnie.

Seriously they weren't sick of each other yet? They had spent the last seven days together, alone, isolated, completely cut off from the world. As much as he may like Elena—she was demoted from love after her "I love Stefan" confession—Damon wasn't sure he could spend that much time with one person and not get irritated by their presence. No matter how great and explosive the sex might be, Damon was a man of variety. He liked watching life, being a part of it, and interacting with different people though they sometimes disappointed his expectations.

The way he heard Stefan talking to Bonnie it was safe to say he was whipped. Damon half expected Stefan to ghost off to Bonnie's but surprisingly he stayed in.

He heard Stefan stroll past his room. He didn't even stop to check to see if he was alive. _Stefan doesn't care_, Damon reminded himself and went back to reading.

When the sun broke over the horizon on the cool fall morning, Damon sipped whiskey down in the formal living room. Stefan skipped his way out of the house without sparing him an acknowledgement. That pricked Damon but he wasn't going to examine why. Curiosity got the better of him and he found himself standing outside of Stefan's bedroom.

Everything was the way it always was. Books piled on the table. His bed half made. Clothes sticking out of the closet. _God, this boy is a slob_, Damon thought and traipsed in his brother's room to pick up after him.

Damon could really hate being a vampire sometimes. He had an innate ability to be obsessive compulsive about certain things. Damon hated clutter and stains. Stains were the worst.

As he began to properly fold Stefan's underoos and stuff them in his bureau he saw a framed picture of Bonnie on the bedside table. He picked up the frame, an eyebrow quirked in the air.

Bonnie was dressed in a full body corset or something like it. It wasn't obscene, more ethereal than anything else. Her hair hung in wavy rivulets down to her shoulders. She was looking down at her feet which were crossed at the ankles while she leaned against a wall with her hands behind her back.

It was a nice shot, a simple and beautiful shot of Bonnie that made her look soft, appealing, and undeniably like vampire bait.

Suddenly he began wondering what her skin would feel like under his fingertips. What her lips would taste like. What she sounded like when she…

Damon dropped the frame back on the table and hustled out of Stefan's room. He smacked himself on the side of the head. Where in the world had _those _thoughts come from? Wasn't he supposed to be pining over Elena? No, Damon didn't pine, sulk, or brood that was for people like Stefan who had no backbone. He was motherfreaking Damon Salvatore, vampire extraordinaire and it was time he revisited his roots beginning tonight.

But first there was another matter he had to clear up.

* * *

Bonnie was nervous. It was her first day back at school. This would also mark her first time walking around campus as Stefan's girlfriend. Dubai and Australia had been out of this world—from riding camels along the beach to surfing with sharks, all of it had been an experience she'd love to repeat later in life especially if she ever became a misses.

Stefan parked the Maserati, looked at Bonnie over the console and grabbed her hand.

"There's still time to hop on another plane and finish out the school year in Thailand."

Bonnie smirked but then shook her head. She couldn't run from her problems in Mystic Falls no matter how appealing it was to just pack up her life and throw up the deuces sign. There were several huge problems that needed fixing ASAP and unfortunately Bonnie would be an integral part in making it all come to pass.

Besides, she didn't want to runaway from Klaus for the rest of her life if he happened to pop in to do an inspection only to discover his number one henchman was nowhere to be found.

"I'm ready to do this. To face them. We have nothing to hide anymore."

"You're absolutely right," he kissed her knuckles. Stefan got out of the car, opened the door for Bonnie, and they rejoined hands.

Caroline was sitting at the picnic tables that lined the quad applying lip gloss when she saw the new couple walking in her peripheral vision. When she gave them her undivided attention she caught herself about to aww. Bonnie and Stefan strolled over to her wearing identical dark chocolate leather jackets, dark denim jeans, and biker boots. Bonnie was very bronze and Stefan looked smug as usual but they just looked so cute together. Caroline immediately reached for her phone to snap a picture.

The blond vampire beamed at them as she rose from the table to engulf Bonnie in a monstrous bear hug.

"I missed you so much and your tan is excellent! Spill! I want details and don't spare a single one."

"You mean you even want a blow-by-blow or should I say lick-by-lick replay of all our bedroom antics?" Stefan queried while resting a hand on his chin.

Caroline balked whereas Bonnie slapped Stefan's chest.

"No?" Stefan asked and nodded his head.

"I declare, Stef you can make the devil blush," said Caroline.

He bowed gallantly before her. "Why thank you." When he straightened he kissed Bonnie before getting lost in the crowd. "I'll be back in a minute."

The girls watched him walk away and then sat down on the bench.

"You are positively glowing, Bonnie," Caroline gasped her thoughts were changing speed so quickly she was finding it a little difficult to keep up with herself. "He didn't propose or anything, did he?"

"Caroline, calm down. We had…it was…how can I put into words?" Bonnie sighed and then shot up from the bench to do a little jig. "It was the best fudging time of my life!"

Caroline giggled, her blue eyes alight with excitement and happiness for her long-time friend. The two girls joined hands when Bonnie sat down again. Whatever was bubbling on the inside of her it would seem Bonnie couldn't keep it contained.

"The places we were and the things we saw…Caroline," Bonnie lowered her voice conspiratorially. "I am _so_ in love with that man."

She couldn't help it not even if she wanted to. Caroline squealed and threw her arms around Bonnie. "I'm so happy for you, B!"

Stefan stood a few feet away, observing them, eavesdropping on their conversation trying to maintain his poker face. It wasn't a minute after he heard Bonnie's proclamation about being in love with him that he felt the hybrid sidle up next to him.

"You're back. I'm glad to see Bonnie's still alive and that you didn't kidnap her just to waste her."

A tick started in Stefan's jaw. He kept his eyes forward. But for anyone to presume he'd lift a finger to hurt Bonnie, they were asking for a beat down.

"Tyler, you know what they say when you _ass_ume things," Stefan's tone definitely dripped ice.

Tyler rolled his muscular shoulder. He could smell the mounting testosterone and adrenaline pumping in Stefan.

"Look, Bonnie is my friend and if you do anything to hurt her," he made the mistake of laying his hand on Stefan's shoulder, because in the next instant, Tyler found his back making out with the nearest tree and Stefan's forearm braced against his neck.

"Mind your gotdamn business when it comes to Bonnie including what I decide to do with _my_ girl. That's right you heard me, _dog! _Bonnie is my girl and if you do anything to interfere or come between us, I will massacre you."

Stefan dropped his hands from Tyler's person and took a few steps backwards. When he hazarded a look over his shoulder he was glad the girls were too engrossed in their reunion to notice what he had done. He loved the sound of Bonnie's voice, just not when she began to preach her ethics to him. That he could do without.

Tyler looked fired up. He wasn't down with public humiliation unless of course he was the one doing the humiliating. Instead of wrapping his hands around the vamp's neck like he was yearning to do, Tyler straightened out his clothes and snatched up his fallen book bag from the ground. He spared Stefan one measured look before heading off in the general direction of his first class.

Standing alone, Stefan realized he was under some intense optical scrutiny.

He stretched out his hands like he was on the cross. "What?" he demanded. Naturally everyone resumed whatever they were doing before Stefan's impromptu Jerry Springer outburst.

Back over to the picnic tables Bonnie and Caroline were still laughing and giggling like little girls, but it all came to an abrupt end when they spotted Elena walking across the parking lot.

Bonnie observed her friend. Elena was still slender, still beautiful, still had a head full of long brown hair, but her once animated dark brown eyes appeared nearly black complimented by dark circles. Stress was cleverly written in the lines surrounding her pursed mouth and forehead. If it weren't for the makeup, Elena would look like an old woman.

Caroline alternated between looking at Bonnie to gauge her response to Elena's appearance, to the girl herself.

"How has she been?" Bonnie asked while she played with the latch on her satchel.

"She's been better. In fact I haven't seen or talked to her much since the night of the dinner party. She pretty much goes to class, goes home, and stays there. She is such a killjoy now."

Bonnie ignored Caroline's last remark. "Have you called her?"

Caroline nodded her head. "Yeah, but all of our conversations have been brief and tense."

Bonnie mulled that over. "And Jeremy?" she asked tentatively. "Have you seen or spoken to him?"

"No. Matt talks to him occasionally since they work together, but he's following in Elena's footsteps. And before you ask, I have seen Damon since you've been away. He's coping in the only way Damon knows how by getting drunk and flirting with anything that has a decent rack and a pair of legs."

A corner of Bonnie's mouth lifted. It was comforting that something's she was used to had not changed.

"When do you think it'll ever be a good time for me to talk to her and try to smooth things over?"

Caroline shrugged her shoulder. As much as she loved her girlfriends they were notorious for their stubbornness. You couldn't find two more obstinate chicks than Elena and Bonnie.

"Maybe in another year or two," Caroline joked.

Unfortunately Bonnie felt her estimation was too accurate.

Elena loved Stefan—that was a given, but Bonnie loved him too but realistically she felt as if they were dealing with two separate people. And Bonnie wasn't down for sharing. F*ck that, she had done too much, lost too much, and sacrificed too much to get where she was now- incandescently happy, probably with the world's biggest asshole, but he was her asshole and she loved him.

But she was done talking about her drama. "What's been going on with you and Ty?"

Caroline didn't blush, she merely wore a look of resignation on her face. Bonnie didn't like it.

"There was an incident."

"Tell me."

"The blond Original blood slut showed up at his place one night with a snack and Tyler being Tyler…helped himself and the chick is in a mental hospital as we speak."

"What?"

"He can't fully explain what happened; he just said the girl went batshit crazy. But apparently when a hybrid feeds from someone…something happens to that person psychologically. He was completely freaked out afterwards and has promised to only drink from bags, but…if Rebekah refuses to leave him alone…I'm going to have to search for that dagger and kill her myself. I cannot lose Tyler to the darkness that's in him."

"Maybe I can do a spell…" Bonnie sounded doubtful.

"No, I'm sure everything will be fine," Caroline as always tried to sound positive and upbeat.

The first bell of the day rung and in an instant Stefan was standing by Bonnie's side.

"Madame," he stretched out an arm. Bonnie accepted it.

"I'll see you at lunch, Caro."

"Okay oh and Bon?"

Bonnie turned back to regard her.

"Where's my souvenir?"

* * *

At the end of the school day, Bonnie's curiosity about the damaging side effects from Tyler's bite was piqued. She wanted to know more if there was more to learn.

She had sent a text to her informant to meet her on the west end of the school property, and prior to that she told Stefan she would be a little late meeting him in the parking lot but didn't give any further details. She didn't want to start lying to him. That was no way to begin a relationship but if she told him the full truth Bonnie already knew he wouldn't be happy.

Bonnie paced back and forth as she waited. She checked the time on her cell. She'd give him another minute before throwing in the towel and rushing off to meet Stefan before he began to search for her.

The sounds of approaching footsteps caught her attention and she stilled. Damon emerged from the surrounding trees dressed in head-to-toe black which made his alabaster skin glow like an opal stone. His eyes—the color of a methane flame—were trained on her as he approached.

Seven days had probably been the longest she went without seeing him since they became reluctant friends over the course of the last few months. So she wasn't surprised she found herself being taken aback by his lethal handsomeness. But she was glad she could look at him dispassionately and not like a girl in heat.

"I feel like I've been summoned," was his opening statement. "And I'm also assuming my brother doesn't know about this clandestine meeting?"

"He doesn't. You're a vampire, right," it was a rhetorical statement. "When you bite someone can there be psychological disturbances afterward?"

Well, this certainly wasn't what Damon had in mind when Bonnie said she needed to speak with him. But it shouldn't have surprised him. Part of their working relationship had been business oriented.

He folded his arms over his chest, the move making the leather sleeves of his jacket squeak.

"It all depends on the vampire. We can make it a pleasurable experience or your worst freaking nightmare. When we taste human blood, we can view your memories, hear your thoughts. Most of the time we can shut off access to that if the vamp is well disciplined. But again, this all depends on the vampire."

"So…when you bit me…did you see my memories?" Bonnie felt goose bumps pop over her skin. She really didn't like revisiting the night she was possessed and Damon tore into her to get revenge on Emily.

As she looked at Damon's face it was plain to see that it wasn't one of his finest moments either, and one he didn't waste a whole lot of time thinking about or dissecting.

"No," and that was the truth. He was more consumed with inflicting pain than taking a field trip through the inner workings of Bonnie's head.

"But you could have if you wanted to?" she pressed.

"What's this all about, Bonnie? Did something happen between you and Stefan?" His hands immediately pushed her hair off her shoulders as he twisted her head from side to side to look at her neck.

Bonnie smacked his hands away.

"Surprisingly this has nothing to do with Stefan. Tyler bit someone and the girl is in a mental hospital. I was just curious about any potential side effects a vampire bite can cause in a human. And now with Tyler being a hybrid I was wondering if there was a difference between him taking a bite out of someone from an ordinary vampire."

"I'm more than an ordinary vampire," he sniffed.

"I can't believe this," Bonnie mumbled. "Will you take your ego out of this, please?"

"Just admit I'm the most magnificent vampire you've ever met and sure I'll let this go," he smiled.

Bonnie couldn't help it, she laughed not with him but at him. "You all right."

Damon rolled his eyes but then dropped it. It went without saying that was the most he was going to get out of Bonnie Bennett at the moment.

"From my understanding," Damon began, "most of the time when a vampire bites a human nothing psychological happens unless the human and vampire are a mated pair."

She blinked.

"You know vampires will take a human as a lover and for food. A bond can form over time if there's a consistent exchange of blood. Mentally…" Damon made a face of uncertainty, "the human might develop some neurotic tendencies but that's only a result out of fear of losing their partner. Because Tyler is both, he can't control his vampire side and may have inadvertently merged minds with the girl. He's part animal so there's no telling _what_ runs through that part of his brain."

Bonnie felt like she was on information overload.

"So, witchy, in the long run it would be best if Tyler didn't bite anyone until he can control his mental abilities. Is any of this making sense?"

"I'm sure it will in a day or two. Thanks, Damon. I better go."

"Tell my brother I said hello."

Bonnie spared him one final look before walking away, but Damon stopped her.

"Bon?"

She halted and looked at him over her shoulder. Damon approached her until he stood a foot away from her.

There was some delicious scent rolling off her skin and her moss green eyes sparkled with her determination and wit to figure out this new problem.

"I'd be very careful in how far you let Stefan in. You're supernatural as well…the end result might not be pretty."

"Worried about me, Damon?" she teased.

His face wasn't laughing. "You're taking a big risk by talking to me. You're his mate and he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate anyone he believes is a threat, not even me. Unfortunately that's one of the bad things about being involved with a vampire; we are ridiculously territorial."

"Stefan wouldn't hurt you over me."

Damon's smirk was in place as he flicked the end of her nose. "He would impale me if given the chance."

Bonnie searched his eyes, felt her phone vibrate in her hands. It was Stefan calling. She answered.

"Hey, babe I'm on the way."

Damon watched her walk off briskly. But then she kind of always did walk like she was late for something.

Bonnie met up with Stefan in the parking lot; he was already holding the passenger side door open for her. And he was seated behind the steering wheel before she had the chance to snap her seat belt on.

"What do you want to do?" he asked and backed the car out of the spot and meandered to the exit.

"It's kind of mild today so…a ride on the Harley?"

"Anything for you darlin'," he replied with an exaggerated southern accent. Bonnie stretched over and kissed him. Stefan was a little surprised she initiated it. Their eyes met and locked and Bonnie could tell he wanted to say something.

"What?"

"Nothing it's just you're so damn beautiful."

His compliment made her blush. "Charmer."

"You make my job easy."

* * *

Elena sat in the passenger seat of Damon's car. She'd had a week filled with angst and introspection and she finally came to a doable conclusion that would work in her favor.

They were parked along Main Street right outside of the ice cream shop. All day Elena had had second thoughts about what she was going to say to Damon, but…

She had seen Stefan and Bonnie together at school and it crushed her heart and pissed her off all over again.

And those two specific reasons is why she knew it would be unfair to drag Damon through an emotional gauntlet while she tried to wrap her head around the harsh fact that her first love was now in love or whatever with her best friend.

Damon sat like a statue as he waited for the knife he sensed Elena was going to throw at his heart.

All week she had avoided him and he avoided her. Now with Stefan's return she finally put an end to her reclusive ways and was ready to deal with their cliffhanger of a situation.

He wasn't looking forward to it but he had been in this position before.

"I know you want more, Damon and I wish I were in a better emotional position to give you what you want. But you and I both know…it could never work. And us being together is _wrong _on a certain level."

"You're still missing the point," he said sharply. "This was never about what I _wanted _but what I _needed. _And…" he let his thought drop because something else caught his attention.

_Perfect, _Damon thought as he eyed the pair that came traipsing out of the ice cream parlor with ear-to-ear grins on their faces.

_So hardcore of you, brother _Damon scoffed internally. He felt Elena stiffen next to him.

Up ahead he finally realized he was parked one car behind Stefan's Harley. Who does that? Ride a mean machine like a Harley Davidson to an ice cream parlor? His brother, that's who.

As he flicked his eyes between Stefan and Bonnie sharing an ice cream cone and Elena's shocked and outraged face, Damon was uncertain about what to do. He could drive away, head back to the boardinghouse, but call him a glutton for punishment and hard-headed. He remained parked right where he was.

Soon, he realized that the witch and his vampire brother weren't merely taking innocent turns eating the solitary cone, it was becoming quite X-rated.

_I stand corrected, _Damon tilted his head to get a better angle of Stefan sliding the tip of the cone down Bonnie's tongue.

He shifted a little in his seat and cleared his throat.

"Disgusting," Elena muttered and finally forced herself to look away. "Can you take me home?"

"We're not done talking or I should say you're not done dragging me through the mud."

Elena sighed. "I don't want to hurt you, Damon."

He cranked the engine. "Too bad because you already did."

A tear rolled down Elena's cheek and she looked out the window. "You know I didn't mean to."

"Answer me this," he cut the engine off again. "If Stefan and Bonnie never hooked up, and you and I did our thing and the compulsion on Stefan was lifted, would you have dropped me like a bad habit and resumed your relationship with him?"

"I…" she stammered.

Damon's gaze was intimidating and Elena found it hard to meet his accusing eyes.

But he deserved to know the truth. "In time I would have been able to let Stefan go. So no, I wouldn't have just dropped you."

"And your reason for doing this," he waved a finger back and forth between them, "is because you want space."

Elena turned in the seat to face him. "My head feels all screwed up. I understand it's not fair but I can't help the way I feel about Stefan. And I'm not going to drag you through my bullshit."

"So glad you're calling it by its appropriate name."

"You deserve better, Damon. And I'm sorry but I can't…not right now."

He nodded his head resolutely and looked up when he heard the crank of the Harley. He sat and watched as Stefan kissed Bonnie deeply, heard each and every little moan and sigh. When they finally came up for air they merely gazed at one another as if transfixed by each other's beauty. Damon had to admit he had _never _seen Stefan look so…blissful. Stefan kissed Bonnie's cheek prior to putting her helmet on and closing the flip up visor.

He was a ripper! An uncaring, unfeeling jackass. He wasn't supposed to have the goods to make some wholesome girl fall in love with him. How was any of this possible? Or fair?

Damon continued to watch as they mounted the bike, Bonnie holding on to his brother for dear life as he zipped out into traffic and zoomed down the street.

Damon cranked the engine and pursued them. Elena looked at him—worried.

The speedometer climbed from thirty to fifty to seventy miles per hour until Elena screamed:

"Red light!"

The Camaro's tires screeched against the asphalt garnering the attention of the twosome on the bike.

Damon could make out Stefan's smirk perfectly through the heavily tinted visor.

"Damon," Elena warned and then was slammed into the seat as Damon stomped on the gas the minute the light turned green.

He had no idea why he was chasing his brother through this po-dunk town, maybe because he was fed up with the lackluster results of his life, the melodrama that never seemed to go on a permanent hiatus. The unfairness of loving a woman who loved his brother first and best. Now Stefan had done it again—striking gold while he struck out.

"Damon what are you doing?"

All of her questions were being ignored as Damon's car hydroplaned over a small incline in the road chasing after the motorcycle.

Stefan purposely swerved in front of Damon throttled the gas and the break at the same time until clouds of smoke billowed from the tires.

Elena began to cough. Damon cursed and then realized what he was doing could put Bonnie in danger. He immediately began to decelerate.

His car sat idling at the next red light while Stefan continued south with his prize.

Incensed, Elena asked, "What the hell was that about?"

"I have no idea," Damon answered and then took the appropriate route to Elena's.

* * *

**The Salvatore Boardinghouse**

Stefan stood in front of the fireplace chomping on ice cubes and thinking of ways to convince Bonnie to spend the night. Currently she was at Caroline's doing homework. And what was up with that Dukes of Hazzard stunt Damon pulled this afternoon; he could have crashed into his bike and killed Bonnie. Yep, Stefan began to devise ways to have a heart-to-heart with his brother when the rarely used doorbell rang.

Sighing, he sat his unfinished drink on the mantle and headed to the door.

When he flung it open he laughed dryly.

"What do _you_ want?"

Stefan was met with silence and it didn't take long for his irritation to rise. Just as he was about to slam the door on the unwelcomed visitor, an aerosol bomb was ignited in his face. The gas began to burn his lungs and his flesh. Vervain!

A fist shot out of nowhere and landed right in his jaw. Stefan stumbled on his feet, tripped and landed on his back. He blinked his eyes rapidly trying to clear them.

The visitor stepped inside, closed the front door, and slipped his hood off.

Jeremy stood like an ancient warrior over Stefan. "Time for payback, dick!"

Chapter end.

**A/N: Oh, snap. Thanks again for reading! Until next time.**


	13. GI Joe Wannabe

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

And someone once told Jeremy that you never know what color your blood is until you see it on the floor.

He wouldn't find out the meaning of that proverb until he turned seventeen.

**Ten Minutes Earlier….**

Jeremy was weighed down with contraband. There were two sharpened stakes in the back pockets of his jeans, a pair of brass knuckles outfitted with wooden spikes, and he had a few vervain grenades.

On the drive over to the Salvatore boardinghouse, Limp Bizkit's "Boiler" playing on repeat it fueled Jeremy's adrenaline so he wouldn't lose his nerve. Was he being stupid—of course, suicidal—possibly, but he had several points to make.

_Looks like I'm gonna do everything myself_

_May I could use some help but hell,_

_You want something done right, you gotta do it yourself._

He parked the Mini Cooper across from the boardinghouse and looked both ways before he crossed the street. Damon's car was nowhere in sight. Good. His odds were better when dealing with a single vampire rather than two.

He rang the doorbell. He didn't want to just walk in and get ambushed himself.

It took less than half a second for the door to swing open and there standing before him looking superior was the bane of his existence.

"What do _you_ want?" the vampire asked rudely.

Jeremy didn't come over here to talk but to act.

He reached in his pocket for the aerosol can and sprayed Stefan right in the eyes. Then he punched him.

The vampire went down grunting and blinking and trying to claw his eyes out. Jeremy calmly stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.

_Maybe life is up and down but my life's been what till now_

_I crawled up your butt somehow and that's when things got turned around_

_I used to feel alive_

_Now I feel pathetic and now I get it_

Stefan pushed himself backwards on the floor until he was in the living room lying against the carpet.

He watched through a blurry haze as Jeremy slipped something on his fingers. He smirked when the boy loomed over him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and punched him in the cheek.

Something sharp and pointy injected into his flesh. The familiar burn told Stefan of its identity.

"Wood brass knuckles—nice," Stefan said and then kicked himself up ninja style from the floor. He staggered on his feet over exaggerating his movements to make Jeremy think he wasn't at full strength. This was going to be fun.

_What's done is done you just leave it alone and don't regret it_

_But sometimes, some things turn into dumb things_

_And that's when you put your foot down_

Jeremy said nothing merely reached into his back pocket for the stake. He charged Stefan who flashed out of the way but then caught Jeremy by the back of his jacket, spun him around and threw him over a table knocking a month's supply of alcohol to the floor.

Jeremy groaned as his body roared with pain but he forced himself back on his feet. His landing caused the stake to fly out of his hands and scattered off somewhere. No matter, he had a spare.

When he was standing he didn't see Stefan anywhere.

It was too late when he felt a whistle of wind fly behind him and Jeremy sailed through the air like a Frisbee, his shoulder knocking into a wall.

Something cracked inside his body. He would feel it in the morning. What was he thinking? He felt it _now_!

Jeremy wheezed, tried to catch his breath and find his equilibrium. He saw Stefan standing in front of the fireplace, working his jaw back and forth. He plucked one of the pointy spikes from his cheek and tossed it negligently into the fire.

With him distracted, Jeremy reached for a serrated edge blade knife he had hooked to his ankle.

He had been practicing throwing knives in the woods and was sure he could strike Stefan in the heart if only he'd turn around. His back would do for now.

Jeremy threw the blade at the immortal and annoyingly Stefan took a huge step to his right and the blade was instead imbedded into the mantle.

"I gotta give you props, Jeremy, you're _really _dedicated in your quest to kill me." Stefan ripped the knife out of the mantle studied it for a moment before throwing it back at Jeremy.

The boy stilled when he realized that if his head was just a hair more to the left, the knife would have gone through his eye.

"May I ask what brought this all on?" Stefan inquired as if they were discussing the latest best seller.

Jeremy managed to get to his feet—wearily.

"You know _exactly _what this is about. You forced yourself on my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend? Dude she was mine before she even dumped your ass."

Jeremy's eyes flashed mercury. His nostrils flared. Bonnie had been unfaithful? Had given herself over to that f*cking leech while he literally had to pull her teeth just to get her to kiss him in public, and she offered herself up on a f*cking silver platter to a gotdamn vampire, a creature she claimed to hate and distrust!

Inside, Jeremy felt his elevator go all the way to the top and there was a definite "bing" because he wasn't cognizant or responsible for what came out of his mouth next.

"Then that goes to show she's exactly like Katherine, a two-timing bitch."

All glee and bravado wiped clean off Stefan's face. He had been amused in the beginning but he was furious now!

His right eye twitched, his lips pulled taut against his teeth, his fangs descended and he roared.

Using vampire speed he was standing over Jeremy, snatched him up by his collar and threw him over the couch. Jeremy landed on the coffee table and the force was so great it shattered to pieces. Stefan watched with grim satisfaction as the boy moaned while he rolled on his back.

Stefan observed Elena's battered and bruised little dickwad of a brother.

"You piece of horse shit! I should make you eat your own liver, but I'll settle for this."

Stefan poised his foot to crush Jeremy's skull but the boy one-upped him and stabbed the vicious vampire in the calf with a stake.

Naturally Stefan roared in pain as he bent over to rip the sharpened piece of wood out of his leg, but Jeremy swept his leg under Stefan knocking him to the floor.

Jeremy pounced.

"You talk a lot of shit," he began to wail on Stefan's spectacular face. "It's time," punch, crunch, "for someone," head butt, "to shut you up," Jeremy felt several bones in his right hand crush under the onslaught as he rammed his closed fist into Stefan's nose. As a result there was a massive spray of blood which spurted in the air.

The makers of _300 _would be so proud.

Stefan's eyes rolled into the back of his head and for one manic moment Jeremy thought he was winning, and felt vindicated that he had the balls to take down the vampire below him despite the consequences. Yeah he would probably spend the rest of his life running from Damon, but killing the vampire who violated his girlfriend, stole her from him, and who constantly endangered the lives of his entire family would be well worth it.

His head felt like it was swimming inside of his skull but Stefan had been in worse pain before. Just as Jeremy's bloodied fist was about to come down again, Stefan brought his elbows up and broke the human's grip on him. He sat up, reared his own fist back and the punch he delivered was enough to knock Jeremy clean on his back.

Jumping to his feet, Stefan jacked the boy by the collar of his sweatshirt and threw him across the room. When he landed against the floor with a satisfying crunch, Stefan wiped his mouth clean and spat out a wad of blood. Stomping his way over to Jeremy who looked dazed and confused and was sprawled on his belly, Stefan crushed Jeremy's hand with his boot, the hand with his ring that protected him from the supernatural.

Jeremy cried out and watched helplessly as Stefan slipped the ring off.

Once it was in his possession he tossed it in the air, caught it in his palm, and pocketed it.

Pain and dread equally ran through Jeremy. Once again he underestimated his opponent and he quickly traveled back through time when he tried to be the hero for once by using the ash from Katherine's picture to incapacitate her long enough to get the moonstone. Unfortunately he ended up being her mid-day snack.

"You know, I'm kind of sad it had to come to this, Jeremy, but men back in my day dueled to the death for the affections of a lady." He laughed but it was mirthless. "Thanks for taking me back to my roots."

Jeremy coughed up blood and a tooth. His left eye was sealing shut and it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe and stay conscious.

"If you're going to kill me just kill me and save the commentary."

"As you wish," Stefan raised his boot again to buff the floor with Jeremy's brains. The boy closed his eyes, said a final prayer, and waited for the inevitable.

Luckily for Jeremy the front door at that moment chose to fly open.

"Stefan what are you doing!"

Hearing her exclamation made Stefan pause, but his foot was still raised in the air. The room was flooded with Bonnie, Caroline, and Damon pulling up the rear.

"I'll be with you in one minute, honey," Stefan said sweetly and brought his foot down but then he was thrust away from Jeremy and crashed into the nearest wall.

That doggone witch!

He growled as he watched his traitor of a brother kneel down on his haunches to inspect the damage that was done to Jeremy.

"What happened?" Damon asked.

Stefan pointed in Jeremy's direction although it wasn't necessary. "He came over here spoiling for a fight so I gave him one."

Bonnie's lips curled with disapproval.

Damon could believe it because he smelled vervain in the air.

Bonnie approached Jeremy but made no moves to physically touch him. She immediately began to dictate orders.

"He needs to go to the hospital. Caroline can you take him?"

"Yeah," Caroline usually so composed in the midst of a crisis couldn't help feeling flustered. With Damon's assistance they got Jeremy to his feet.

"And," Damon added, "compel everyone who comes into contact with Jeremy to forget they ever saw or treated him."

"I know, Damon, no need to remind me of the obvious," she shifted Jeremy and then immediately flashed out of the boardinghouse with her charge.

Damon and Bonnie catalogued the collateral damage that was done to certain pieces of furniture in the living room.

"You couldn't be the bigger man and not fight him?" Bonnie folded her arms over her chest and waited impatiently for her boyfriend to explain himself.

Stefan pushed away from the wall but not without rolling his eyes. He approached her and stared her down.

"I was attacked in my home. He threw the first punch and you're gonna tell me I'm not allowed to defend myself? That I should just let him have his bitch fit and let bygones be bygones? Hon, have you forgotten what I am?" Stefan tapped his chest to emphasize his point.

"No, I haven't forgotten what you are but you could have killed him, and would have if we hadn't shown up when we did," Bonnie moved closer and winced as she tried to see the damage that was done to Stefan's face underneath all the blood.

"And what would you have done if Jeremy had been successful in killing me?"

It wouldn't have been pretty was the first thing to cross Bonnie's mind. Stefan nodded his head knowingly.

"He disrespected you, Bonnie," he argued. "He needed to be taught a lesson."

She nodded her head. "And you wanted to protect my honor, I get it, Stef…but please…you don't have to fight everyone who says something negative about me. I'm a big girl and Jeremy, he's my problem."

"Not anymore," Stefan vowed and reached up to cup Bonnie's cheek. "Your enemies are my enemies."

Damon stuck a finger in his mouth to mimic he was about to vomit.

"Come on," she took him by the hand and the two went upstairs to his bedroom.

"No, you two go ahead, I'll stay down here and clean up," Damon bemoaned sarcastically and stomped his way into the kitchen to retrieve several large trash bags.

Up alone in his room, Bonnie slipped off her jacket, threw it on the bed, and began to prod Stefan's injuries with her warm hands.

He winced and grimaced but otherwise made no audible noise of complaint. They were alone for two minutes before Damon arrived with a blood bag.

Stefan straightened and snatched the bag from Damon and bit into it savagely.

Both Damon's and Bonnie's eyes enlarged as they watched Stefan practically massacre the blood bag like a hyena eating off a fallen wildebeest.

It was empty in less than a minute and Stefan was definitely showing his "happy face".

"More!" he demanded in a guttural tone.

Bonnie stepped before him placing her hands on his cheeks, running the pad of her thumbs under the dancing red veins that wiggled with unquenched thirst.

"No," she said firmly.

"I want _more_," he shouted in her face.

"I said no!" she repeated through clenched teeth. "Don't let it control you. You've had enough, Stefan. You're healing."

During this interaction Damon merely looked between the witch and the ripper. He was amazed because Stefan looked as if he was going to obey what Bonnie had demanded of him. Suddenly he found himself questioning that if Elena had been here would she had been able to reign in Stefan's blood addiction.

Probably not. More than likely she would have given into his demands afraid he'd slip off and attack an innocent human.

The rage in Stefan began to ebb away, hesitantly at least.

_Hun_, Damon thought, _the alpha female has spoken_. "Well, looks like you have everything up here under control. I'm going to go back downstairs," Damon announced prior to slipping away.

Bonnie took the decimated blood bag out of Stefan's hands. "Go get in the shower. I'll be back in a minute."

As he headed off to do as she asked, Bonnie went downstairs and found Damon stuffing large and small pieces of broken wood into a Hefty trash bag.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked.

"You shouldn't have to clean this up by yourself."

"It's fine. Besides, you should keep an eye on Stefan to make sure he doesn't do something…_I_ would do."

"Like go out and finish Jeremy off?" she guessed. Damon could only nod his head. Bonnie sighed and threw the blood bag away.

"Can I just have one day where nothing dramatic happens?" Bonnie lamented.

Damon cut her a look that loosely translated into: get real. "I've been saying it for years what a tool Jeremy is and he's finally proven my thesis right. In fact this takes me back to when Jeremy tried to assassinate me. The boy was smart enough to spike my whiskey with vervain and had whittled a stake but because of his growing adoration for me, he warned me before I could take the fatal sip. "

Bonnie bit back a grin. It should have occurred to her that Jeremy might retaliate against Stefan, but she guessed he wouldn't for self-preservation reasons. _Wrong!_

Bonnie found herself asking this question. "But why is violence the answer to all _our _problems? If Jeremy had beef, which he obviously did, why couldn't he just talk to me? Why come here and attack Stefan?"

Damon rolled his eyes. Chicks. They would never understand the mechanics of the male mind.

"Bon, this goes back to our Neanderthal forefathers where guys impressed girls by killing the biggest dinosaur walking around."

Bonnie giggled.

Damon continued. "You and Stefan hooking up crushed Jeremy's manhood into dust and tonight was his way of reclaiming it. And there's no better way to do so than killing your rival. The consequences for such actions be damned."

"I see what you're saying, Damon, but he should have known that a lot of people wouldn't have forgiven him had he been successful."

"You're right. As much as Stefan _annoys_ me…he's still my brother. And I've earned the right to kill him over everyone else. I would have hunted that little f*cker down."

They grew quiet for a moment. "I know Stefan doesn't act like it, but he still loves you."

"Pfft," Damon said and closed off the first of many bags of trash. "Love…like that's done me any good."

That piqued Bonnie's interest. She had completely forgotten Damon's earlier antics of chasing her and Stefan through downtown Mystic Falls. Elena had been riding shot gun but from the look on her face she wasn't having a blast with the elder Salvatore.

"Damon…"

He caught that caring tone in her voice and shot up to his feet to stick the trash bag near the basement door.

Bonnie immediately backed off. "Are you sure you don't want help?"

"Thanks for the offer but Stefan needs you more than I do," he replied.

He was right, naturally. Yet Bonnie couldn't help but think his proclamation had a double meaning.

Back in his bedroom, Stefan had stripped out of his bloodied shirt and stood in front of the sink examining the faded cuts and bruises. Now all he really had to do was wash off the blood and he'd be good as new.

Bonnie strolled up behind him, took the wash cloth out of his hands and began the task of cleaning his face.

Wordlessly Stefan stared at Bonnie as she wiped layer after layer of blood away. Some of it was his but most of it was Jeremy's.

Just thinking of the cretin made his hands ball into tight fists and he worked his jaw back and forth and began to strategize ways to corner him and _really _give him the fight he had been gunning for.

"Stop thinking like that," Bonnie said ominously.

He was a little surprised but didn't let it register on his face.

"Are you reading my mind now?"

She shook her head and twisted the cloth until pink fluid spilled from it. "I've been around your kind long enough to know when you have murder on the mind. Your muscles are taut and your hands keep balling in and out of fists. It's not hard to figure out what's running through your head." She propped her chin on his shoulder and looked at him through the reflection of the mirror. "The ripper wants out and it's my job to calm him down."

Stefan spun around so fast that it made Bonnie dizzy. He caught her between his arms and kissed her but Bonnie wasn't as into like she typically was and he figured it was due to the fact he was still swath in blood.

"There's one way to do it. Stay with me," he whispered.

Bonnie played with the collar of his wife beater and shook her head. "Not in that bed."

He frowned so severely Bonnie had to laugh.

"Why not?"

"Because you can change the sheets and flip the mattress but that's still the bed you and Elena…had sex on, where you defined your relationship. We're new and fresh and part of me would feel like she'd be right there with us. And I don't want to share you."

He understood even though he didn't like it. But he was pleased with her closing statement. He didn't want to share her either.

Stefan ran his hand through her hair and quickly began thinking of a contingency plan. He didn't mind spending the night at Bonnie's but now that they were an official couple and all of _her _friends knew about them, there was no reason for them to hide their relationship or censor it on other's behalf. He wanted her. In his room. Where she belonged, but that meant some big changes would have to occur first.

"Okay. This mansion has six other bedrooms. We'll just pick one and sleep there and in the morning," he grinded against her. Bonnie feigned annoyance but then smiled. "In the morning we'll flip through every single IKEA, Pottery Barn, Ethan Allen book we can find in the search for _our _new bed."

Bonnie's eyes began to sparkle like it was Christmas. "Buying furniture together, sounds serious."

"It is," he kissed her forehead. "Now I should shower."

Bonnie smiled and stepped out of his arms. "Yes, you should."

He was a man who preferred to wash himself with the tools he was given: his hands.

Bonnie not having anything better to do at the moment, jumped up on the sink and decided what better activity could she do than watch Stefan shower.

And they could talk.

He stood right under the showerhead, turned it on without waiting for the water to heat up. Bonnie widened her eyes so she wouldn't miss a single moment. The water naturally flattened his caramel hair giving him an almost Alfalfa look, but Stefan pushed his hair off his forehead with a single hand. Naturally that meant all the muscles in his torso and arms flexed with the motion.

He poured a healthy amount of AXE body wash into the palm of his hand and worked it over his arms, shoulders, across his pecks, down his washboard stomach and yes—finally taking hold of that one muscle which was slowly strumming to life.

Stefan watched as Bonnie's eyes became half-lidded with desire as they devoured him on the spot. It made him harder than Chinese arithmetic.

Bonnie tilted her head sideways. "I should go pick out our temporary bedroom."

Stefan's smile was feral and he deliberately licked his lips. "Yes, you should."

Bonnie hopped down from the sink and crashed into the wall. "Oops. Excuse me," she apologized to the wall and fled the bedroom.

Stefan's chuckles followed after her.

Ten minutes later Stefan had tracked her scent up to the third floor, a floor neither he nor his brother ever really ventured to until they had to get something from the attic. There was a small bedroom with a full sized bed, a desk, chair, and a floor lamp; that was pretty much it in terms of décor. Not that they needed anything more than a bed. But he figured Bonnie chose this one because of its location.

He found her standing in the center of the room eyeing her appearance in the mirror. Bonnie liked being prepared for different situations that could come up so she always kept a packed bag in her trunk. Tonight she had donned a virgin white baby doll night gown. She turned around to face him as he entered the room silently and locked the door behind him.

"I have to ask," she began as Stefan approached her and gathered her close. She could smell the soap on his skin and the minty scent of toothpaste on his breath. "Why did Damon get the bigger room when you moved here first?"

Stefan snorted and ran his hands up and down her hips. "It was my nephew Zach's room, and when Damon killed him, he took over the room," he pecked her lips.

Bonnie merely blinked—feeling stunned because Stefan said it so casually. Sometimes she could really forget that she consorted with killers.

"And, as the elder, Damon's the heir and heirs get the pick of the liter."

"Oh."

"But if you haven't noticed I'm a bit of a slob and the master suite just would have been too much for me to keep clean and tidy."

Bonnie nodded and leaned on her tippy toes to kiss him. Stefan moaned into the kiss and began to devour her lips until she was left breathless and panting. In a flash she was on her back on the bed, running her hands over his tepid skin, gazing up into his bluish-gray eyes. Instead of searching for lust she was looking for traces of the ripper and was glad when she found none.

Their lips joined again and everything tumbled into bliss.

**Sometime during the night…**

Stefan was wide awake, unable to sleep despite the lure Bonnie's warm body provided. His gums hadn't stopped throbbing and the tips of his fangs hadn't fully receded back into their cave. His stomach growled and he felt irritable but he was trying his best to fight it.

Bonnie lay on her side with her back and fabulous ass pressed against him. It should have been enough to stir him again, but for once it wasn't sex he was craving.

He wanted blood.

Stefan debated on what he should do. He had made no promises to Bonnie that he would get his nourishment from bags alone, and even she should have known what a challenge it would prove to be to keep him from hunting and drinking from humans.

She allowed him a little sip here and there and her blood had the potency to make him feel full like a tick, but tonight he was too scared to taste her blood out of fear he might not be able to stop.

Decision made, Stefan disengaged himself from Bonnie, slipped out of bed and waited a moment to see if his absence would wake her.

She continued to slumber deeply and part of him didn't want to do this because it almost felt like he was betraying a golden rule of theirs, but Stefan reminded himself he had made no promises, hadn't sworn an oath to never drink human blood again.

And she hadn't made it a prerequisite.

His body felt restored from the one bag he consumed but he began to rationalize that it would be in his best interest to get as much blood into him in the event he'd have to smack someone else down. Bonnie would want him to be at his full strength if he had to come to her aid or defend her against their numerous enemies. There were simply too many obstacles—some tangible and some intangible that it just wouldn't be smart to be caught unawares. Stefan just wanted to be prepared.

And that's the story he spun in his mind as he crept his way to the basement.

He opened up the deep freezer and eyed Damon's endless supply of goodies.

The throbbing of his gums increased and Stefan picked up a bag, tore into it and drank the blood within seconds. The empty package fell to the floor, forgotten, and soon nine others joined its predecessor.

His chest rose and fell rapidly and he should have felt sick from eating too much, but no the opposite was happening.

He wanted more.

Even the blood from the bags had a kind of synthetic kick to it. It wasn't enough to trick his brain into believing he just consumed human blood.

He had no choice now. He had to go out.

**Just before dawn…**

His bones felt heavy and he could barely walk straight, but Stefan felt like he could lift the entire boardinghouse over his head. As he entered the manor and shut the door behind him, he slumped against it and tried to get his breathing under control. If he still had a heart beat it would have been pounding like a drum—he felt so high he was finding it a little difficult to control not only his thoughts but his motor functions as well.

Somehow he made it to his room and stood under the showerhead fully clothed. Lexi had taught him a dozen different relaxation techniques to fight against the blood lust, and had instructed him on how to come down from a high.

Right now he purposely made his mind go blank. He did and didn't want to think about the college party he raided and all the little tarts he took a sip from. He rolled his tongue around in his mouth still tasting faint traces of A, B, and O negative blood.

_Bonnie's going to kill you, _his inner voice said sharply so sharply his eyes snapped open.

She wouldn't do that because he hadn't killed anyone. He'd been real careful about that.

_But you flirted with those girls to get them to trust you. You kissed their necks. You entered their minds and learned intimate secrets about them. She knows it's all a form of foreplay for vampires. You're a dead, dead man walking._

To clear his mind even more, he rammed his head into the shower stall and managed to knock a few tiles loose.

_His Bonnie_…how could he do that to her? She would be so devastated, disappointed, and pissed off if she ever found out.

There he vowed he'd never tell her and he wouldn't sneak out on her again. She deserved better from him.

Stefan stripped out of his clothes, threw them away, brushed his teeth a hundred times before sauntering up to their temporary bedroom.

She was still asleep in the same spot as he left her with one arm tossed over her middle and the other she was using as a pillow.

As quietly as a vampire, Stefan slid back into bed, wrapped himself around Bonnie, entwining their hands and resting his chin on the crown of her head.

"I love you so much," he whispered softly and kissed her hair.

Bonnie shifted a little to get closer to him. "I love you, too, Stefan."

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading and leaving me your thoughts. Until next time…love you! Have a safe weekend!**


	14. I Love the 90's

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**

Thank God it's Friday night and I just got paid…

_I am _still _a sexy beast, _Stefan thought as he did a final primp in the mirror. He ran his tongue across his perfectly straight teeth and was glad that the throbbing sensation in his gums had dissipated. It had only taken four days for it to go away which was a new record for him. However, there were still several things wrong about his appearance.

For one his hair had been temporarily highlighted to a frosted blond, which clashed with his usual caramel colored locks. And it made him look neon white. Shameful. As Stefan twisted his neck to the side he rolled his eyes at the long string of hair that had been artificially attached to the nape of his skull. The dreaded rat tail. It wouldn't look so bad if he didn't look like Edward Scissorhands gave him a haircut.

The other thing that was bothering him was his attire. He didn't mind wearing skinny jeans because they were fashionable—he guess he had the Jonas Brothers to thank for that. But no, he was wearing the "original" skinny jeans from Jordache and they were acid washed.

Despite the fact they were a deep navy blue in color they still managed to flatten his ass and crush his balls against his thigh. It wasn't terribly uncomfortable but Stefan doubted he'd be able to sit down without ripping something. Right now he was walking around his room like he was 3CPO.

Sighing, he threw on the matching jeans jacket over his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt. He had already stuffed his size elevens into a pair of patent leather combat boots.

As he made his way downstairs successfully not ripping his jeans like he was The Hulk, he grabbed his keys and cell phone.

Damon had been too busy raiding the liquor cabinet to notice him, which was just fine with Stefan. The sooner he got missing the better off his night might be.

Unfortunately Damon turned around, ran his eyes quickly over his little brother before literally bending over, holding his innards while laughing like it was going out of style. To make the moment even more memorable, Damon toppled over on the floor on his back with his legs sticking in the air like a dead cockroach.

Stefan rolled his eyes and pursed his lips. "You done?"

Damon held up a finger and continued to cackle. After a minute or two he sobered and then slowly rose to his feet.

He flicked a tear away.

"Does this mean you've finished grappling with your sexuality?" Damon snickered.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you. Have you forgotten about the Boy George phase you went through?"

Damon waved a dismissive hand in the air. "It was the 80's and androgyny was all the rage back then. The guy who looked the most like a girl got the most bitches, you know that."

"Right still doesn't excuse the fact you wore falsies and glitter eyeshadow."

"I lost a bet and it was New Year's Eve in Times Square," Damon defended his actions of old and took a sip of his whiskey. "Seriously where are you going dressed like that, and do I even want to know?"

"Some distant associate of Bonnie's invited her to her birthday party. The theme is The 90's."

"Un-hun, and the inspiration for the outfit?"

Stefan pondered telling Damon the truth and then thought against it. "I'll let you waste away here and figure it out. Cowabunga dude."

The next thing Damon heard was the slamming of the front door.

"Teenagers I will _never _understand them," Damon quipped.

Not fifteen minutes later Stefan pulled up in front of Caroline's house. He laid on the horn causing a few dogs from surrounding houses to protest the blaring noise. A few minutes later the front door flew open and out spilled his girlfriend dressed a la Paula Abdul in a black blazer with humungous shoulder pads—something silver and dangly clung to her left shoulder. She paired this with black thigh length pleated shorts, sheer black stockings, and ankle boots. What he couldn't see was her bedazzled bra underneath. Her hair was teased and crimpled and very asymmetrical and her eye makeup was dramatic.

Caroline decided to invoke the spirit of Cher Horowitz of _Clueless_ by wearing an exact replica of her yellow plaid skirt and jacket outfit pairing it with white knee-high stockings and platform Mary Janes.

And finally came the freak hybrid who was dressed in a throwback Timberwolves football jersey and relaxed fit jeans. How very original.

Guess Tyler decided to leave the shiny suits, parachute pants, and grunge look to others.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Word To Ya Mother," Caroline giggled and opened up the back passenger door of Stefan's "everyday" car his Audi A8.

"Vanilla Ice-Ice baby," Tyler added before laughing loudly and getting in on the opposite side.

Stefan flashed out of the car wondering if he could stuff Tyler in the tailpipe but he shifted his attention and opened the door for Bonnie and assisted her inside.

When he sat behind the wheel he gave her a long thorough once-over.

"Can you save the eye-fucking for later?" Tyler complained. "I'm hungry."

Bonnie grabbed Stefan's hand. She knew exactly what he wanted to do with it.

Stefan banked his anger and started the engine. He still had no idea how he was bamboozled into agreeing to double with Tyler and Caroline. Caroline wasn't so bad as long as she didn't address him directly, but that fudging hybrid boyfriend of hers—he wish he had an eject button in his ride then Tyler could really sing _I Believe I Can Fly. _

"Thank you so much for agreeing to tonight," Bonnie said and leaned over to kiss his cheek. Her lips lingered and lingered until Stefan turned his head and pressed his lips against hers. Mind you he was driving by this point.

Tyler roared from the backseat. "Dude, eyes on the road!"

Stefan growled menacingly.

It was Caroline's turn to grab her boyfriend by the hand. "Sweetie, I would keep my mouth shut from this moment forward," she advised.

Stefan flicked his eyes in the rearview mirror—they narrowed on the boy. Tyler returned the glacial look.

This was going to be an interesting night indeed.

* * *

**Four days earlier…**

Holding her tray and crowd surfing, Caroline Forbes peered through the bustling bodies of the cafeteria looking for a familiar face. She spotted Bonnie and Stefan huddled at a table almost in the center of the room. She quickly made her way over to them.

"Hey guys," she said and sat her tray down on the table. She observed them as they searched for something on Bonnie's lap top.

"Hey Care," Bonnie mumbled absently.

"What are you doing?"

"Furniture shopping," Bonnie replied and then pointed at the screen. "What do you think of this one?"

Stefan tilted his head but then shook it.

Caroline who was busy taking a sip of her Raspberry Tea almost swallowed it down the wrong pipe. "My hearing is pretty good but just for clarification purposes, did you just say you were furniture shopping?"

Stefan ripped his eyes from the screen to look at the blonde who sat across from him. "Yep," was his simple response as he immediately brought his attention back to the task at hand.

"Did you two break Bonnie's bed with your wild monkey sex?" Caroline teased and then unwrapped her turkey club sandwich.

Her question of course was ignored.

Bonnie brought her emerald eyes to Stefan. "Babe, can you get me some nachos?"

"I know that's code for get lost so I can talk girl shit with my BFF." Nevertheless Stefan rose from the table to do his girlfriend's bidding. With him gone Caroline easily swapped seats and sat beside Bonnie and looked over her shoulder.

"Furniture shopping. Sounds serious," Caroline goaded.

Bonnie shrugged a shoulder. "Stefan wants me to stay at the boardinghouse. I don't mind sleeping over so long as it's not in the bed he shared with Elena."

"Amen, sistah."

Caroline was amazed. Just like that, at the snap of her fingers Bonnie was able to get Stefan to commit to buying a big purchase like a bed, while she struggled with getting Tyler to agree to shower after practice before showing up at her place.

"Hmm, so does this mean I'll be shopping for a maid-of-honor dress in the near future?"

Bonnie finally looked up from her task to stare at Caroline who was trying very unsuccessfully to keep the glee and sarcasm off her face.

"Last time I checked I wasn't dating Edward Cullen."

"He's Jasper for sure."

Bonnie pursed her lips.

"Bon you do realize that making a big purchase like this means you've upped the commitment ante? You guys have gotten really serious in a short amount of time…I just don't want you to go balls out just in the off chance the compulsion is broken."

Bonnie pulled her hands away from the keyboard of the lap top. Leave it to Caroline to address the pink elephant in the room and use a stick pin to burst her bubble. Yet, unfortunately she was right.

"You think I haven't thought about that? It's so hard sometimes because what I feel inside for Stefan, it scares me. I look at the situation we're in and I can't help but wonder if I might lose it. And sometimes it feels like it's the bright side of the moon. If Stefan ever becomes free of Klaus, I suspect he would be filled with a tremendous amount of guilt. And we all know he had the patent for the woe-is-me-I-don't-deserve-happiness-of-any-kind franchise."

Caroline tried to suppress her giggle but couldn't.

"So," Bonnie went on to say, "I've made this deal with myself. I am going to enjoy this ride for as long as it lasts and I will have no regrets."

The two girls stared knowingly at one another.

"Bonnie, Caroline I'm so glad I ran into y'all."

They turned their attention to the intruder. It was Bethany Hayes a girl who grew up with them but had orbited in a different social circle.

Bethany Hayes was the type of pretty that was mostly manufactured; her dye job was compliments of Revlon. She could dub as a Mac Cosmetics spokesperson, and her fingernails were always inch long French tip manicure talons. She was the stereotypical rich girl with problems yet most people tolerated her because her father was the most influential man in town.

She placed two ornate envelops before them with their names written in elegant gold calligraphy.

"I wanted to extend an invitation to my birthday party. It's gonna be this Friday night at the country club out on Wiltshire. Can I count on you two to be there?"

"Ah," Bonnie stammered.

"Sure," Caroline replied with a strained smile on her face.

Bethany clapped her hands together enthusiastically, but then leaned over the table and lowered her voice. Her face became serious.

"I haven't invited Elena yet and I would if I knew she was gonna bring that delicious dark-haired guy I always see her with. But word on the street is, they're donzo." Then Bethany began to speak to herself in an aside. "I wonder if I can get an invitation to him. No, he probably wouldn't want to come to a high school party."

Caroline and Bonnie just continued to stare at her strangely.

Bethany leaned away from them and smiled again. "Well I'm off, and please don't hesitate to bring your beaus with you." Bethany wiggled her fingers in a departing wave. "See you on Friday ladies."

The minute she was gone, the young women opened up their invitations. They quickly read over the time and location of the event and the theme of the party.

"The 90's. 'Everyone is encouraged to come dressed in 90's regalia. You will not be allowed admittance if you don today's fashion'."

"This could be so much fun, Bon," Caroline said excitedly and already began to strategize her outfit.

Stefan finally strolled his way back over to them with Bonnie's nachos. He cleared his throat pointedly for Caroline to move her ass back to the other side of the table. Instead of taking the not-so-subtle hint, Caroline flashed annoyed eyes up at him and refused to budge. He might get away with pushing other people around but he would be missing with the wrong one if he thought she was going to jump every time he appeared or snapped his fingers.

Caroline was no one's lap dog.

"You know what would really be fun?" Stefan interjected as he sat the nachos down in front of Bonnie. "If you would remove yourself from my girlfriend's side. She and I were doing something before you infiltrated."

"Yeah, well it's going to have to wait because we just got party invites from Bethany Hayes and your _girlfriend _and I have to talk clothes, shoes, and accessories." She stuck her tongue out at Stefan. Bonnie could only shake her head as she picked up a nacho and ate it.

Stefan brought his incredulous eyes to Bonnie demanding she do something.

"Hey, don't look at me. The last time I tried to break up a fight between vampires I almost died."

The tick worked in Stefan's jaw but then he relaxed and conceded. He sat down on the bench across from them.

"Seriously how many ridiculous high school parties are we going to be subjected to?" he asked and then stole a nacho.

"You don't have to come," Caroline retorted.

"And let some roid head make moves on my sweetie," Stefan scoffed. "I don't think so."

"So I guess that means you will be digging through your crypt for a pair of acid washed jeans." Caroline raised her drink in the air. "Cheers, I'll drink to that."

* * *

**Fell Country Club**

Strobe lights and mirror balls made a kaleidoscope of colors engulf the tricked out country club. After passing through the atrium, beginning clockwise was the Boy Band Factory where guests could take pictures with life-size cutouts of all the major boy bands from the early to late 90's. New Kids on the Block, Color Me Bad, Kriss Kross, New Edition down to N'Sync, Backstreet Boys, and 98 Degrees just to name a few.

If boy bands weren't your thing, in the northeast corridor two gaming systems had been set up that offered Sega and Nintendo consoles and games: Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Mario Brothers, and Sonic the Hedgehog.

And if that didn't strike your fancy, guests could film their own minute long music video to such hits as Will Smith's "Getting' Jiggy With It", Britney Spears "Baby Hit Me One More Time", and the original material girl herself Madonna's "Vogue".

There was an oxygen bar, endless food offering domestic and international cuisines, a photo booth to capture the moment with old and new friends, and a large blank message board had been set up to leave the birthday girl messages.

Outside on the lawn a small skateboarding ramp had been constructed, but a release had to be signed stating the one utilizing it wouldn't sue if they got hurt.

Bethany's party was Mystic Falls' version of MTV's Sweet 16.

When the group arrived everyone present was doing the Macarena line dance. Caroline and Bonnie squealed, clasped hands, boyfriends forgotten, and immediately got in on the action.

Left to their own devices, Tyler and Stefan took one look at one another, scoffed and headed off in opposite directions. Tyler found some of his football buddies and accepted a bottle of beer. Stefan walked around the circumference of the room, eyeing the decorations, the people dancing, trying his best not to track a single person—someone he might be able to isolate.

All day he felt equal parts bloated and empty. It was an annoying side effect to binge feeding so instead he focused on what happened four days ago and the unexpected but necessary shift that occurred in his and Bonnie's relationship.

Stefan found an empty table and sat down.

There were days he felt seventeen and there were many more days that he felt like a hundred and sixty-two year old vampire. He had way more life experience than the kids who were jumping around and reliving the earlier days of their childhood. So much it could fill three volumes of a novella. He spotted Bonnie bouncing around in the midst with a hundred watt smile illuminating her face. Stefan recalled seeing her that happy at the first decade dance he attended at Robert E. Lee.

And then little by little or perhaps like a torpedo everything turned to crap.

He was partly to blame for that. Only partly.

Stefan was sure that if Damon had never tracked him down or gotten it in his head to free Katherine, Elena and her friends' lives never would have altered the way they had.

Now things were shifting once again and as usual he was in the flux of it.

The legs of a chair scraping across the floor barely caught his attention. It wasn't until he sniffed the citrus perfume of the girl did Stefan become aware he had attracted attention.

Stefan only acknowledged her existence by looking out the corner of his eye. She was strawberry blond with wide brown eyes, a small mouth, and petite shoulders.

_Boring_, was the first thing that ran through his mind.

"Your name's Stefan, right?"

Her voice was shrill like that chick from Will & Grace.

"Yeah," he answered blandly and tapped his fingers over the table top. He sat up a little straighter when some guy with Harlequin romance novel features strolled up to his girl and touched Bonnie intimately on the elbow.

"I'm Angelica."

"That's nice." Was he supposed to know who she was?

Stefan's eyes narrowed as Bonnie turned around to regard who it was that interrupted her animated conversation with Caroline and some other nameless chick. Her eyes flared with recognition and she threw her arms around the guy's torso.

Bonnie pointed vaguely at her friends and then in Stefan's general direction. He relaxed somewhat but found himself coming to attention when the guy smirked as if he didn't find Stefan to be a threat.

"I wanted to introduce myself because you see…"

The girl must be blushing because Stefan was soon overwhelmed with the scent of her blood. He sharply turned his head in her direction. Sure enough she was blushing; the apples of her cheeks were full of her delicious blood.

He licked his lips in anticipation but then he ripped his gaze off the girl and returned it to Bonnie. He frowned disapprovingly because the asshole didn't get the message that she was spoken for.

"You broke up with Elena," Angelica continued.

"What?" Stefan said distractedly. The boy had exactly two seconds to step off before he'd barge his way over to him and promptly show him who was king.

Angelica leaned her elbows on the table. "You broke up with Elena and I've seen you around school with Bonnie but…I have a confession to make."

Stefan said nothing. Just barely tossed his eyes in her direction.

"I have had such a major crush on you since you came here last year."

This was a moment to say "WWDD" What Would Damon Do?

Get the girl alone, compel her not to scream, and drain her until she resembled a prune.

"And?"

Angelica all of a sudden grew interested in picking remnants of fried chicken out of her acrylic nails.

"Would you like to dance?" she asked quietly.

"I don't dance," Stefan said before getting up from the table and approaching Bonnie. It was time for the loser with the bowl haircut to bounce.

Bonnie immediately reached out her hand for Stefan's and found herself crushed next to his side.

"Hey, Stefan this is Tom he used to be on the Timberwolves cheer squad."

After hearing that, Stefan relaxed considerably. "I'm sure it's nice to meet you, Tom," he said. "Let's go boogie," and he whisked Bonnie away.

"2 Become 1" by Spice Girls began playing.

"Don't you _dare _tell Damon I danced to a Spice Girls song."

Bonnie giggled and wrapped her arms around Stefan's shoulders and got as physically close to him as she could. Together they moved as if they were back on that island in Seychelles. One of his hands flirted with grabbing the full globe of her ass but only his fingertips brushed against it.

She found herself staring into his eyes that had much more life. Suddenly Bonnie's thoughts drifted back to Tuesday morning.

* * *

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

He was…different.

When Bonnie fully woke up from her first official slumber party at the boardinghouse, her eyes rammed into Stefan's since he was gazing down at her. His eyes weren't just their usual bluish-gray but were almost electric, not quite like Damon's or Daniel Craig's, but a lighter shade of blue nearly identical to the lapis lazuli stone of his ring.

Not only that, but his flare of caramel hair looked more golden as if he snuck out and got highlights.

Thank goodness his skin wasn't sparkling then she really would have been worried.

Last night she slept remarkably well being in a foreign bed in all, but she didn't dream, not until after Stefan returned to bed (yeah she did notice he left), and he uttered those three magnificent words that every woman waited to hear.

That felt more like it had been part of a dream rather than reality, but as she gazed up at him while he peered down on her, and saw the teasing smirk to his lips, Bonnie was assured the moment was real and neither one of them could take it back or brush it off as an accident.

Yet she had to question this new shift. Did he mean it? Did she mean it?

Briefly she thought of their less-than-orthodox beginning. Not many girls could brag that the guy she was having a casual fling with had turned into her one true love. Statistically speaking it's a very rare occurrence that people could transition from friend with benefits to an actual romantic couple. And their dalliance should have ended long ago. But it was strong like oak.

But, Bonnie what about the compulsion?

Why couldn't her overactive mind leave her alone and let her enjoy this moment? But it did raise a very valid question.

Stefan was still under Klaus' influence but she wasn't sure of its strength considering Stefan hadn't seen Klaus in months. Not that distance seemed to be a factor. Katherine had been under Elijah's compulsion to remain in the tomb, and he certainly wasn't in her face twenty-four seven for it to be effective.

She loved Stefan. Like the Destiny's Child song "Cater To U" if he wore a do-rag, she'd tie it. She would be his Xena Warrior Princess if one of their many enemies tried to rip them apart. Bonnie would do anything to protect him. Would do anything to keep him by her side at all times. Yeah, some vague part of her said she couldn't control his comings and goings and that their relationship should never come to that point, but the thought of him being without her made her feel sick and discombobulated.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Stefan kissed her cheek.

Bonnie stretched, covered up her yawn with the back of her hand before snuggling closer to Stefan and draping an arm over his shoulder.

"Morning. How much time do we have before school starts?"

There wasn't a clock in the room, but Stefan could tell the time by the position of the sun.

"An hour give or take."

Bonnie shot up in bed nearly crashing the crown of her head into his jaw. "Why did you let me oversleep?"

Stefan said nothing, but watched Bonnie scramble out of bed and rush over to her overnight bag to pull out a fresh change of clothes. Slowly he sat upright and rested against the small headboard.

"Because you were up late last night ravishing me, remember?"

Bonnie had one leg in her jeans when she paused to look at him. "I'm sure that was a two-way street. Well just don't lay there in all your Adonis glory, get up and make some moves. If I'm late again for Ms. Gentry's class she's gonna make me watch C-Spann and it's about as entertaining as watching slugs race."

Stefan chuckled and threw the covers off. He rounded the bed, took Bonnie by the hand and kissed her until all rational thought left her brain.

"Good morning," he repeated.

Bonnie bit her lower lip unsure of how this script was supposed to go.

"Would you like some breakfast?" she asked and then frowned. She was certain that wasn't the response Stefan had been anticipating.

The vampire in question closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm quite full, actually. I wouldn't mind eating you, but as you've so eloquently put it you can't afford to be late again."

Stefan did an about face to retrieve his boxer briefs and slipped them on. Bonnie buttoned up her jeans, walked up to Stefan and wrapped her arms around his torso. She kissed his shoulder.

"I heard what you said last night," she whispered against his skin.

Stefan craned his neck backwards although he really couldn't see Bonnie since she was hugging him from behind.

"Yeah," he licked his lips.

"Did you mean it?"

He turned in her arms and played with the ends of her hair. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. You know that."

Bonnie nodded her head and it wasn't long before a giddy smile popped out on her face. She leaned up on her toes to kiss him again, very much aware of her morning breath but Stefan didn't seem to mind.

When they pulled away Stefan had his own question to pose. "Did you mean what you said last night?"

She thought for a moment and smiled when Stefan growled. "Of course I did."

"You better have," he warned and then winked at her.

"And if I was merely saying it just to mess with you?"

He bent his knees a little so he could bury his face in the crook of her shoulder. He deeply inhaled her scent of wild flowers, cinnamon, and burning embers, that familiar smell which transported him back to his childhood.

"I would put you over my knee and spank you until you come."

Wowzers, Bonnie thought and shook her head to keep that particular image at bay.

He nipped her skin and then, slid a sharpened canine against her neck until she shivered in his arms.

However, he stopped when memories of what he did last night slammed into him and he instantly shot up but didn't loosen his hold on Bonnie.

A question flashed on her face and he quickly kissed it away.

It took a moment for her to realize Stefan was holding her much too tightly. He was always big on keeping her as physically close to him as possible, but he always kept in mind how much pressure to use when handling her. She was supernatural in her own right, but she was still human and very much breakable. Today for some reason she felt like she was in a vice and Stefan didn't appear to be aware of it. She squirmed when it became a little difficult to breathe.

"Stef…" she said while attempting to push away from him.

He dropped his arms. The human blood that flowed through him was strengthening his tissue cells and muscles. He felt lighter, knew he'd move faster, could think quicker.

"I'm sorry," he said and part of him was apologizing for last night as well.

Bonnie resisted rubbing her slightly aching sides. One bag of blood shouldn't have had that kind of effect on him.

"I'm going to shower," he said. "Join me?"

"Nope. If I do that then neither one of us will be going to school and I think you know that. Instead I'm going to shower elsewhere, and then raid the refrigerator."

They departed; Stefan going off to his bedroom and Bonnie heading downstairs.

Of course she would see Damon standing at the window drinking alcohol at six in the morning.

With Stefan still upstairs primping, Bonnie found a pad and a pen and wrote a note to Damon.

_How many bags of blood do you have?_

His eyebrows did that thing they do when he was trying to figure something out. Bonnie pointed up towards the ceiling that she didn't want Stefan to overhear their conversation. He took the pen out of her hands and quickly scribbled an answer.

_Last I checked…314._

He passed the paper over to her. Bonnie read it and then wrote her final message to him.

_You might want to do an inventory._

He was smart enough to catch on to her implication.

Not a minute later Stefan came whistling down the stairs. Damon crushed the paper in his hands and then immediately left the lovebirds alone.

Stefan picked up his car keys and grabbed Bonnie's overnight bag. "Do you have everything?"

She nodded her head.

On the way to school, Bonnie sent a text to Caroline requesting an update on Jeremy's prognosis. She learned that almost every single bone in his right hand was broken; he had a dislocated shoulder, a cracked rib, a hairline fracture in his jaw, and a concussion.

She slanted her eyes at Stefan while he concentrated on the road. Sometimes she really did forget how lethal and dangerous he could be.

_He was provoked, don't freak out._ Bonnie's mind told her constantly.

* * *

**Fell Country Club**

From across the room, Caroline observed Bonnie and Stefan. They looked like two pieces of a puzzle, completely and totally simpatico.

She didn't envy them. She had Tyler but lately she felt as if there was something he was hiding, and not in a roundabout way to protect her, but that if she found out she wouldn't approve.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," his voice interrupted her musings.

Caroline looked into Tyler's obsidian eyes. It always amazed her at how dark they were that it was at times difficult to separate the pupil from the cornea.

"I'm just really happy for Bonnie," she finally answered. "Tonight would be so much better if She Who Shall Not Be Named was here."

"Elena?"

Caroline nodded. She couldn't remember attending a party where she wasn't sandwiched between her two friends so the night couldn't but feel slightly off to Caroline. Soon she found herself being transported to Tuesday.

* * *

Caroline pulled her Fiesta in front of Bonnie's house and cut the engine. The girls' quickly grabbed their purchases from the trunk and made the short hike to Bonnie's front door. Sitting right there on the door stomp was a cute stuffed teddy bear holding a heart between its hands. Bonnie instantly smiled as she retrieved the small gift.

"Leaving tokens of his affection now. I'm sorry but I'm having a hard time picturing Ripper Stefan doing something so uncharacteristically sweet."

"Hey," Bonnie said sharply, "he has his moments. He's not always blood, doom, and gloom." Bonnie hugged the small bear to her chest and unlocked the front door.

"Right," Caroline said skeptically as she closed the door behind her. They dumped their numerous bags on the sofa and continued to the kitchen to raid the refrigerator. Bonnie pulled out a pitcher of lemon flavored iced tea, a plate full of chocolate fudge brownies, and of course a veggie tray despite the fact she knew they wouldn't touch a single carrot or celery stick.

Caroline with her insatiable appetite grabbed three brownies.

"You know what I find odd?" asked the blonde vampire. Bonnie looked up from pouring a glass of tea.

"What?"

"That Bethany would extend _us _an invitation. I can count on one hand how many classes I've had with her, and I never really talked to her. So I think she invited us to her birthday party because of our hot boyfriends."

Bonnie grinned and handed Caroline a glass of tea. "You know I was thinking the same thing. But it would be nice to hang around a different crowd for once."

Caroline nodded her head contemplatively as the gooey goodness of chocolate fudge coated her mouth and got trapped between her teeth.

"How did Elena take the news about Jeremy's injuries?"

Before answering, Caroline washed down the brownie with a large gulp of tea. "She blew a mother freaking gasket! For a minute I thought the doctor was going to sedate her. Luckily Alaric was there to calm her down," Caroline shook her head. "I was expecting her to demand Stefan's head on a platter, but Jeremy confessed to being the instigator of the fight."

Caroline watched the sad and sorrowful expression on Bonnie's face.

"Bon…I know you miss Elena…"

Bonnie held up her hand and stuffed her mouth with a tiny morsel of chocolate. "I should have been upfront with her and maybe everything that happened at dinner and last night could have been avoided."

"Well, you don't know that for certain. She can be quite pig-headed."

"Hmm."

"All right," Caroline wiped her hands clean and then smiled brightly. "Enough with the shoulda, coulda, woulda's. Let's go try on our outfits!"

Bonnie smirked. Despite the fact Caroline was practically invincible, and would probably live longer than everyone in town, it still amazed Bonnie that at heart she still behaved as a seventeen year old girl. It was one of the many things she loved about Caroline: her unending euphoria…

Caroline hugged herself closer to Tyler. For once she found herself wishing she could turn back time.

The music changed tempo and everyone began dancing to "Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer.

Bonnie went absolutely bonkers.

Sometime later Stefan felt like he was two seconds from having an epileptic seizure. He didn't remember the music of the 90's being so sugary upbeat it was amazing his brain was still enshrined in his skull. He heard so much Britney and Christina he feared his voice would be several octaves higher when he talked. He also felt the need to flip his hair over his shoulder, and use the word "like" as a verb, noun, and adjective.

As he walked down the deserted corridor on the east end of the country club and passed an unmarked door, he heard something that sounded suspiciously like two people trying to perfect their Hoover technique.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Stefan tried the doorknob and voila it swung open.

There was no need for him to switch on a light, he could see inside the darkened room as if it were daylight.

Stefan crossed his arms over his chest and enjoyed the show. _He certainly is the grabby kind_, Stefan thought. When a full minute passed and the couple hadn't figured out that a voyeur was present, Stefan checked the time on his watch and then smirked.

Tyler was going to be in a tub of shit when, not_ if_, Caroline found out he's been going behind her back dallying with the Original Blond bombshell.

Growing tired of being ignored, Stefan cleared his throat.

Rebekah and Tyler kept at it like they were trying to break a Guinness world record or something.

So Stefan resorted to clapping his hands and stomping his combat boots against the floor as if this were a step show.

Finally! They came up for air.

The color instantly drained out of Tyler's face whereas Rebekah looked equally annoyed and smug. They slipped out of the closet and already Tyler was staring beseechingly at Stefan who merely shook his head back and forth.

"Stefan, look I know what you saw…" Tyler began.

"You don't have to worry about me tattling on you to, Caroline. I'm going to let you do the honors." Stefan brought his eyes to Rebekah who was busy wiping the corners of her mouth.

"Hello, Stefan."

"I cannot say this is an upgrade for you, Becks."

Rebekah propped a hand on her hip and tilted her head until her blonde hair brushed her shoulder. She really was adapting to American life.

"I might end up living forever, Stefan it does not mean I'm going to wait forever for you to see the light. Besides, I heard you're with the witch now. Klaus would be so pleased."

"Yeah and have you talked to your loveable brother lately?"

"He calls every few days or so. Still searching the world over for more werewolves to turn." Rebekah pivoted to face Tyler and pinched his cheek. "Don't take all night to dump the Alicia Silverstone knockoff. I'll be waiting for you, love."

When she disappeared leaving the vamp and the hybrid alone, Stefan chuckled.

"I was planning on breaking up with Caroline. She doesn't understand what its like to no longer have to turn, to be free of it, and the only person I have to thank for that is Klaus. Rebekah understands," Tyler tried to defend his actions but had failed to notice he was pretty much talking to a brick wall.

"Excuse me but did I suddenly grow a look of concern on my face? Is my forehead brooding? No, so guess what that means, Ty, I don't care." Stefan smacked him hard on the shoulder. "Have a good night and try to see if Rebekah might give you a lift on her broom home?"

"Tyler…?" a soft feminine voice called.

The hybrid froze and wished for one sad moment that someone might rip out his jugular.

Of course no such recourse would come.

**An hour after the party ended…**

"Arrrggghhh!" came involuntarily out of Tyler's mouth as he was thrown into a parked car, shattering the back windshield.

Caroline charged him like a bull. After catching him in the hallway with Stefan and hearing the tail end of their conversation, they spent the final hour of the party locked away in the bathroom engaged in a screaming match.

Tyler had confessed to sneaking off with Rebekah and feeding on willing donors. Outraged that Tyler had ignored her pleas to stay away from Rebekah and to discover that they did more than feed off of people, it took every part of her remaining humanity not to annihilate him. And she also learned the depth of Tyler's sire-dom to Klaus and was left utterly speechless when he said he would do _anything_ Klaus asked of him—it was the least he could do as a show of appreciation.

So here they were in the parking lot duking it out like a pair of after school rascals.

"That's right, Tyler, take your beating like a man," Stefan encouraged and fed another chip to Bonnie.

Usually Bonnie wasn't one to condone violence unless of course it was for self-defense purposes, but after Stefan recited the story of finding Tyler and Klaus' sister in a broom closet, she was ready to smack him upside the head as well.

Her friend who was more like her sister had done so much for Tyler. She was his ride or die chick. Not many other girls their age would have stuck around as Tyler went through his first lycanthrope transformation, or stay in a relationship when his mom drugged her and called up her dad to "torture" the vampire out of her. Those were grounds for dismissal.

But Caroline was the poster child for tackling challenges that anyone who valued their life expectancy would turn the other way and run for the hills.

Bonnie winced when Caroline backhanded Tyler and a wad of saliva and blood flew out of his mouth and painted the pavement. To distract herself, she fed Stefan a potato chip, but he caught her finger between his teeth and sucked the digit.

There were more snarls and after a while things were just a blur of movement.

"I hope you and that f*cking blood slut will be very happy together, but you won't be using this on her for a while," Caroline jammed the heel of her shoe right into Tyler's groin.

He hit a falsetto note.

Even Stefan had to cup himself after seeing that.

"Caroline, he's had enough. Come on before we get caught," Bonnie said and jumped off the trunk of someone's car. "Bob Evans is calling my name."

Caroline perked up much like a prairie dog. "Bob Evans? I could eat some Bob Evans."

Stefan took that as his cue to remove his car keys from the back pocket of his jeans.

The three of them left a bleeding and crying Tyler writhing on the ground.

"See you in school on Monday, Ty and don't forget to wrap that up in ice," Stefan advised.

**The following day…**

Last night was wild and definitely one for the books, Bonnie thought. She couldn't believe Tyler cheated on Caroline with Rebekah of all people, but then again she wasn't really surprised by it. Stranger things have happened within the last year of her life. But Bonnie determined she was going to be a better friend to Caroline than she was to Elena.

Clutching her new soft teddy bear to her chest Bonnie looked around her room. She had a few stuffed animals not enough that you'd think she was resisting giving up her childhood, but enough that each one held significant value. And they did.

Her walls were devoid of posters of her favorite bands and actors. It was painted in a color called Barely Mint. Very institutional when she thought about it. Mostly her room was decorated with pictures of her friends chronicling their history and editorial photos she ripped from magazines.

Hmm, after seeing different parts of the world, Bonnie began to deliberate if it was time to redecorate.

Her room could use some fiery reds, sunshine orange, and a whole bunch of other colors.

And like a phantom her boyfriend was sitting beside her on the bed.

Bonnie gasped and then smacked him in the chest with the teddy bear.

"Did I scare you?" he smirked.

"Be glad I don't shoot first and ask questions later."

"You were deep in thought. I didn't want to disturb you."

"Right."

With Stefan here she pushed all thoughts of redecorating aside. Instead she focused her gaze on his pecks that said hello through his black T-shirt.

"Hey, eyes up here. I'm beginning to feel like a piece of meat."

"You are a piece of meat." She climbed on top of him.

Stefan's hands automatically grabbed her hips. He growled.

Bonnie leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. "I forgot to thank you."

Confusion registered on his face. "For what?"

Bonnie produced the teddy bear before him and wiggled it. Recognition did not flash in his eyes.

"The bear," she said.

"Ah, I didn't give you that," he took the bear out of her hands and sniffed it. He picked up no noticeable scent to identify who might have given it to his girl.

"So if you didn't who did? I doubt Jeremy would have…not after what happened."

Stefan shook his head. "I don't pick up his scent," he pulled the stuff animal away from his nose. "Looks like you have a secret admirer."

And why did an eerie feeling instead of a warm one roll down her spine?

To be continued…

**A/N: Thank you for reading guise!**


	15. Criminal Minds

**A/N: Hello my faithful followers. Happy Saturday. **

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

He_ was in love. He was sure of it this time. Those other times had been mistakes—tragic mistakes, but this time he was sure of it. How he figured out he was in love well, he noted his physiological changes whenever she was near him. It wasn't often they shared the same space so ideally whenever he got the opportunity to gaze at her as she walked through town—he'd feel his heart rate increase, the palms of his hands would turn sweaty, and he'd blush profusely._

_Naturally this angered him because no one should be able to hold that type of power over him. His anger grew to resentment, and his resentment to hate. He wanted to hurt her. Make her feel as bad as he did. Make her beg for his mercy, and right when he was at the cusp of going after her, she'd do something to make all those thoughts disappear._

_She'd smile at him, and ask brief inquires about his life. Those were the moments he craved._

_Now they were few and far in between._

_Four years. That's how long he watched her grow from a stick figure of a girl who wore bushy bangs and braces, to the sensual curvy women she was now. Her voice had matured, deepened to that of a sultry blues singer, her hair grew long and wavy, and her green eyes zinged with life. _

_She was a good girl. One of the few ones and she was ripe for his cultivating._

_But now he was losing his good girl to a bad influence and it was time to put a stop to it._

_He sat watching her from his perch across the street, sitting in his car as it idled. The annual toy drive fundraiser was today and she was in the midst of it. His social butterfly, his beautiful girl. He didn't expect to see her since she quit the cheerleading squad for unspecified reasons, so as he was heading north through town, and was stopped at a red light, that's when he saw her._

_The urge to keep going was strong, but the urge to watch her and make sure she was safe was stronger. _

_So he made an illegal U-turn, found a lot and parked his car away from traffic so he could observe her unrestricted._

_He grimaced as he watched her flirt with the gray-eyed Salvatore. He hated him and his brother with a passion. He'd put a bullet between their eyes if he could, but he feared it would only drive her farther away from him, and he certainly couldn't have that._

_He wished he could hear what they were saying. It was common knowledge that his precious girl and the annoying maggot were together- that the younger Salvatore ended his relationship with Elena Gilbert and it seemed the very next day he was dating Bonnie._

_Girls like Elena who walked around with a sense of entitlement and that any boy she spared attention to should stop what he's doing and worship her, weren't his speed. Nope, she wasn't his type at all._

_He craved girls like Bonnie. Girls who had no real male role models in their lives, and who typically aim to please stemming from abandonment issues. Yes, girls like Bonnie got his motor running._

_But if he didn't hurry along he might end up losing her yet again. _

_His plan to isolate Bonnie from her peers had failed considerably when he sent that photo of Bonnie and Stefan doing something no good girl should ever do without a ring on her finger. Incensed wasn't the word he'd use to describe how catching them together like that made him feel. And because of that…that girl* had to suffer the way she did. Stefan had turned Bonnie into a whore, and he wasn't about to let either one of them getaway with that! _(*the girl in Chapter 6 who was attacked)

_He, of course, lived in misery as he walked around mumbling to himself, dealing with the pain of the reality. Bonnie was an innocent, clean spirit. She'd never defile herself and especially not with a boy who obviously couldn't keep it in his pants. His precious girl had been duped by faithless promises into handing over her innocence to that butcher. And what made everything worse—she showed very little remorse for it and flaunted her relationship as if she were doing publicity for a blockbuster movie. _

_So he left her alone for a while, but then realized he couldn't just leave her alone completely. She was in his system, in his blood, percolating, and it was time he paid homage to her once again by leaving her the bear. _

_For as long as he watched her, obsessed about her, thought about her he knew the layout of her room like the back of his hand, and he knew she had exactly seven stuffed animals. He wasn't sure who gave them to her, but he estimated that they held significant value. What was one more to add to the collection?_

_Bonnie had not rejected his token of affection. Naturally she assumed it was from the boy, but he had watched her as she held it tightly against her chest as she entered her house with a smile of pleasure. For days on end he smiled like an idiot. With a few more showings of his feelings, he was sure she'd be open to his more overt advances._

_His hand tightened on the wheel as he witnessed the boy caress Bonnie's cheek and she leaned into his touch. There was a slice of him that feared her attachment to this boy far outweighed that of her connection to Elena's brother thereby making it harder to break. Bonnie and Jeremy's relationship had been brief but not as affectionate as the way Bonnie was behaving with Stefan-like no one else in life mattered! And the only time he recalled Bonnie sharing a tender moment with Jeremy was during the 60's dance, but that had been interrupted by the elder Salvatore._

_He didn't like him either. Not the way he talked to Bonnie or the way he looked at her when she wasn't paying attention. He wasn't exactly sure, but it was safe to assume that Damon wouldn't mind having a piece of _His _Bonnie either._

_The girl was simply too appealing for her own good and drew unwarranted attention, but her attraction to Stefan was the strongest—as much as it pained him to admit it._

_He didn't like it. She wasn't supposed to feel that way for anyone or be so open about it that it caused others discomfort. He'd have to fix things and soon. _

_In the backseat of his car was his Nikon D90 camera. With his view of her unobstructed it would be the perfect time for a quick photo-op. Watching Bonnie as she interacted with those who came to either drop off purchases, or to learn more about volunteering, she moved with the grace of a seasoned politician. Her smile wasn't one of fabrication but out of pure joy—she loved she was giving back to her community in a positive way. Her face wasn't condescending as if she'd rather be anywhere in the world other than where she currently was._

_Plain and simple she was heavenly. _

_He licked his lips and reached for the camera. Oh, yes these he would add to his collection, and then with some clever photo editing of his own, he would impose his head on the Salvatore boy's body, and it'll be as if he had been right there with her all day._

* * *

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

So this is what it's like to be Jan Brady? Stefan thought grumpily. Ever since Caroline broke up with Tyler, Bonnie felt it was her duty to be there for her friend no matter the time of day—literally. Stefan had lost count of the number of times he was awakened in the middle of the night singing "your love is my drug" because Caroline couldn't wait until regular business hours to make a house call.

And what really had his blood boiling was the time Caroline actually busted into his bedroom while he and Bonnie were reenacting their favorite scenes from _Eyes Wide Shut _and she wrenched his naked girlfriend out of bed and locked them in the bathroom.

It had taken Stefan two days to replace his bathroom door.

Every time he had something planned for Bonnie she'd come at him with some lame excuse involving Caroline.

No, Stefan we can't have dinner at that new restaurant, because I promised Caroline I would cook.

No, Stefan I can't take a twirl on the pole because Caroline is coming over for a Hemsworth brother marathon.

No, Stefan I can't stay over because it's makeover night at Caroline's.

Caroline. Caroline. _Caroline_!

Stefan ripped his hair out.

He went from dating one girl to two. Which wouldn't have been a bad thing _if _Caroline was breaking him off a piece, too, but she wasn't and furthermore she wasn't his type.

When Caroline wasn't busy monopolizing Bonnie's time, she was with Stefan and Bonnie wanting to play board games, read horoscopes, or watch horribly scripted reality TV shows.

Stefan was so sick of the domesticity that had settled between the three of them he wanted to gut someone like a fish. If someone didn't give him an occupation soon he was going to tip even further on the madness scale.

Well, he did have an occupation and one he hadn't been performing up to par. Elena had fallen off the grid after jumping Bonnie; and she sank farther in to her anti-social hole after Jeremy almost became a candidate for face reconstructive surgery with Stefan as the operating physician.

So Stefan forced himself to call her.

It went straight to her voicemail.

He sighed. "I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to apologize for handing Jeremy his ass, but the little twit came after me and what was I supposed to do?" Pause. "Sorry, not trying to assign blame but I'm just calling to make sure you're still breathing so if you are, please text me back or call me."

He hung up the phone and jumped up from bed and walked over to the window. It was a beautiful November day. The backyard was completely covered with brown leaves. Stefan already made it up in his mind that he'd leave the landscaping to Damon since he had even less to do than Stefan. Yet there was a piece of Stefan that felt they should have been putting together some type of plan to thwart any future attack from Klaus. But for some reason he couldn't find the energy to do so and in addition to that, Klaus wasn't going to risk coming back to Mystic Falls—unless he had to—because he was under the guise Mikael was looking for him.

Good, so long as he kept running like Speedy Gonzales all would be well in Stefan's world.

He sighed again for the umpteenth time.

Uh-oh he was beginning to feel bored. Not bored of Bonnie, he could never get bored of her, just bored in general. Things had been kind of blah, kind of lame. The most exciting thing to happen since Beth-Anne? No—Bess? No—whatever the heck her name was birthday party was the monument ceremony The Mystic Falls Historical Society held to commemorate fallen Mayor Richard Lockwood.

Yeah like he didn't see Carol Lockwood's influence all over that one.

_Maybe I should saw off his head and frame Sheriff Forbes. That should liven things up a bit._

_Bonnie would see your signature all over it and as punishment withhold the panties_.

He frowned.

Since he had the whole afternoon to himself he might as well make the best of it and go out and find himself a drink—a real one.

Downstairs Stefan spotted Damon who just ended a phone call.

"That was Katherine. She lost Mikael."

"Great!" Stefan replied cheerily. "Wanna go grab a drink?"

Damon shrugged and picked up his leather jacket. "Sure, why not. Will probably end up being my last one anyways."

* * *

**Mystic Grill**

Elena twirled her straw around and around in her strawberry flavored milkshake. For days more like weeks she hadn't been able to chew solid food without gagging and her appetite was pretty much non-existent. If it weren't for shoveling down milkshakes and ice cream Alaric would have had her committed to the hospital so they could feed her intravenously.

But how could eating during such a stressful time be important had been her excuse for so long that even it was beginning to sound weak to her own ears.

Elena had been betrayed by friends in the past and had done her fair share of betraying. Jenna ring any bells? It was dumb the lengths people went through to keep such life shattering secrets from their loves ones that it wound up being pointless in the end. As hard as she and Jeremy and everyone else tried to keep Jenna ignorant of the fact their precious hometown was overrun with the supernatural, it was the supernatural that did her in, in the end.

Elena scoffed and felt tears want to sprout to her eyes.

She had cried enough tears to fill two swimming pools, five bathtubs, and six toilets. Long story short she was all cried out.

And as much as she was suffering she was morbidly comforted by the fact she wasn't completely alone. There was Jeremy who suffered not only emotional but physical pain as well. He had been so happy with Bonnie but she went behind his back, cheated on him repeatedly with Ripper Stefan, and showed very little remorse for her actions.

Bonnie had only texted her one time—_one! _And the message had been placatory at best. _I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please…I don't want to lose you, you're my best friend._

_Oh yeah_, Elena thought and furiously typed back. _So if you're my so-called best friend why couldn't that stop you from fucking Stefan?_

Bonnie's reply: Things were just so out of control.

Elena: The Queen of Control couldn't find the control to keep Stefan from sticking his dick in you. What a crock of shit. Get lost! Kick rocks! We're done!

And that had been the end of that line of communication.

Elena loosened her grip on the glass after noticing her knuckles had turned white.

And yeah people might want to point fingers and throw stones and say 'Hey you forgave Damon and he snapped your brother's neck'.

Well, she had an answer for that…Elena believed in giving second, third, fourth, a million chances. Did that make her stupid? Naturally. Did she initially pay for having too big a heart, you betcha. However at the end of the day no one could accuse her of being judgmental or a bad person.

Elena's phone buzzed. She saw that it was Stefan calling, scoffed and forwarded his call to voicemail. She wasn't in the mood to deal with his crap either. Not after what he did to Jeremy, and most importantly not after how he broke her heart and didn't give two shits about doing so either.

The crowd was minimal at best which was to be expected. Thanksgiving was only a week away so people usually saved their pennies to go grocery shopping for one of the major holidays of the year. Elena wanted to skip the holidays—period. She didn't have much to celebrate.

When the door of the establishment opened a cold breeze smacked her in the face and Elena bristled. Soon a crown of glowing blonde hair appeared and the next thing Elena saw was Caroline sitting across from her.

Caroline as usual was perfectly coiffed but her hair didn't have its usual bounce, and her sparkling blue eyes were flat, and the smile on her face was strained.

Elena had kept her contact with Caroline to the bare minimum because she knew the blond vampire approved of Bonnie and Stefan's relationship and had spent most of her time as of late hanging with them.

"Hi," Caroline said and intercepted a menu from a passing waiter.

"Hi," Elena replied dryly.

"Thanks for agreeing to talk to me. We haven't seen each other in what seems like months."

"Well it's not like I moved or changed my number. If you were really pressed to talk to me you would have done so."

Caroline frowned. Well someone is channeling her inner hag she thought.

"Elena, it goes without saying you've been going through a tough time, but I'm here and so are other people who still care about you."

To that, Elena rolled her eyes. Eyes that was black like oil and as lifeless as a zombie. Even after losing her parents Caroline couldn't recall Elena letting herself fall this far off the beauty wagon.

"You mean like Bonnie?" there was a hard edge to her voice."I wouldn't piss on her if she caught fire."

Caroline winced. "So if someone killed her today you'd say…?"

Involuntarily Elena's eye twitched. Silence.

Caroline smiled her first real genuine smile. "You still care about her and you still love her. Look, of course I didn't agree with the way she and Stefan came together, but…" she switched tactics at the severe frown Elena was directing her way. Perhaps it was a good thing all the witchy ju-ju stuff fell to Bonnie's lot and not Elena's because there would've been burning pyres all over the city.

"We all have been friends since we were in diapers," Caroline mustered on. "And this is our final year together. But there are bigger problems out there haunting us other than your bruised ego and crushed heart. And with all the in-fighting going on Klaus could essentially pick us off one by one. Now, is that what you want?"

"Look, I'm willing to put my feelings aside to work towards our common goal: killing Klaus but that's all I'm promising to do. I don't want see Bonnie. I don't want to hear her name, and I shouldn't be forced to forgive her just because we've been friends for so long. She screwed me over. Period. There aren't enough sorry's in the world that can ever take away the pain of what her actions have done."

Caroline fell against the padded back of the booth. "I get what you're saying, Elena I really do, but you have to know Bonnie wouldn't be with Stefan without probable cause."

"I know he probably threatened to kill everyone on her block. Did that give her the right to continue seeing him after the first night?" Elena shook her head. "She made a conscious decision to keep fooling around with him behind my back…"

"In all fairness you and Stefan were broken up."

"Doesn't matter! It's the principle, the unwritten girl rule: you do not hook up with your girl's ex. You know it's real easy for you to take her side because it's Stefan and not Tyler."

At the mention of Tyler's name Elena saw Caroline stiffen. Had she hit a nerve? Good.

"Oh, and what about your involvement with Damon?" Caroline hurled at Elena like a dagger.

Now it was Elena's turn to stiffen.

"Mind you, you and Bonnie are _friends _but Damon and Stefan—brothers! You want to be holier than thou and act like your shit doesn't stink, when its just as fowl if not worse smelling that Bonnie's."

Elena could say nothing.

Caroline continued. "So you know what you need to do? Stop acting like a victim and get on with your life, Elena."

Well, this conversation hadn't gone down exactly how Elena pictured it in her head. And deep, deep down she knew her friend was right, but Elena was too proud to admit it.

She grabbed her purse.

"I have to go."

"Just like that? Not going to ask any questions about what's been going on in my life? Everything always has to happen on Elena's schedule. Her needs come first and usurps everything else. Fine. Leave."

The brunette closed her eyes in shame. Caroline was right. Elena dropped her purse.

"I'm sorry. What's been going on with you?"

Caroline sniffed and after a moment or two of silence she updated Elena on her break-up with Tyler.

"What is wrong with guys?" Elena asked at the end of Caroline's spiel.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Pause. "Do you want to split a plate of chili cheese fries?"

Just the thought of eating made Elena want to gag, but for her one remaining friend, she'd do it.

* * *

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

Water shrouded her like a blanket as she washed her hair. Though her mind should have been focused on that instead like a loop last week's events replayed over and over through her mind.

She smiled every time she heard Stefan's voice saying he loved her. But then those same thoughts of joy and euphoria would turn to dread.

There were two items on her bed that resembled more of an omen than something which should have been innocent and sweet.

Bonnie shifted her thoughts to the teddy bear, a mystery gift that materialized on her door step with no note attachment. After denied having anything to do with it and called whoever left it every foul name Stefan could think of, Bonnie came to the conclusion that one of her young neighbors might have accidentally left it behind. And if that were the case, why hadn't the parents come looking for it?

So that theory was quickly overruled.

Next was the text message she received from an unknown number while she was on vacation. This brought up two questions: Who was it that missed her and how did they get her number? It wasn't listed.

And finally the picture that was taken of her and Stefan doing something only seen on HBO. Who took it?

Was she being stalked? That was pretty much a given after the teddy bear incident. So now she'd have to figure out whose unwanted attention she attracted and how not to rile Stefan up because he had a flair for going off the deep-end.

Just last week he claimed he "accidentally" stabbed their server in the hand; his excuse- the guy kept peeking down her dress.

Bonnie knew the differences between being protective and possessive. Stefan had a penchant for blurring the lines. But…in a weird and twisted way she was glad he cared about her and didn't brush off some guy treating her with disrespect as if it were part of the territory of being a woman. He stood up for her; her only wish is that he wouldn't always stand up for her using his fists and/or silverware.

Besides she could take care of herself.

But it wouldn't hurt to have an additional pair of eyes on this in the event that whoever was contacting her and leaving gifts behind began to escalate. As much as she didn't want to, she'd ask Damon. He was the most persistent investigator she knew. Plus she figured if he felt useful he'd stop looking so…un-Damon like. Mopey like his feelings got squished by the Prom Queen, oh wait they did.

Oops.

This was a well kept top secret: Bonnie liked Damon or more to the matter the Damon he had transformed into as of late. Whether it was a byproduct of living amongst humans, or he went through a reformation because he thought it would get Elena to love him, or he was just tired of being known as the town butthole, Damon had become someone she could not only talk to, but…

Trust.

Ick, she thought and rinsed her hair. A woman trusting Damon to do anything outside of annoying her or giving her an orgasm was a waste of time.

Thinking of orgasms in general made heat flash through her. _Stop, Bonnie,_ _you have a very serious problem on your hands_.

Or maybe it wasn't serious. Maybe the bear, the text message, and the incriminating photo was one of her classmates way of saying he liked her, thought she was pretty groovy, and would go to any lengths to have her like: slaughter her friendship with Elena.

In any case she'd run her theories past Damon; see what he thought.

Bonnie shut off the water, wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the shower. She quickly dried off, wrung all the excess water out of her hair and slipped into a cotton camisole and a pair of itty bitty shorts.

She padded barefoot into Stefan's room which had now been dubbed "The Love Below" the place where all the magic happens. She chuckled and raked her wide tooth comb through her locks.

"Need some help?"

Bonnie spun around and found the elder Salvatore leaning against the threshold, a cup of cognac in his hand, half smirk on his face.

"Damon," she sniffed the air and frowned. "Did you fall into a large puddle of ether or something?"

The vampire in question lifted his arm and smelled himself. He shrugged. "I might have visited a few pubs between here and Pennsylvania."

Her eyes widened slightly but she refrained from commenting. Damon was a grown man; he didn't need anyone's permission to cross state lines.

"Where's Stefan?"

Something flashed on Damon's face too quick for her to name what it was. So she searched for other physiological signs that her question made him uncomfortable like shifty eyes or fidgeting.

Unfortunately she was dealing with a seasoned vampire who knew how to hide his emotions—most of them at least.

"He'll be home shortly. I'm sure."

Bonnie didn't buy that but it bought her some time.

"Actually I'm glad you're here," she said.

Her voice interrupted his thoughts for they were tumbling down the gutter. She really had no idea how appealing she was to a vampire with his pedigree. He dragged a slumberous gaze over her body beginning with her cute manicured feet, over her short but muscled legs, the attractive flare of her hips, her flab-free torso, those perky unrestricted breasts, that slender neck with the titillating jumping vein, proud jaw, full lips, aquiline nose, haunting hazel-green eyes, and that crown of wet chocolate hair kissing her dainty shoulders, it took a lot for Damon to repress his shudder.

Maybe in the past he had been blind to Bonnie's beauty, writing her off as untouchable because of what she was, but seeing her like this, face devoid of makeup—not like she needed it, with so much skin exposed to his hungry eyes and not the least bit bothered by it, he wondered when things between them shifted to what they currently were.

This was a new area for them—trust.

He had gone through too much emotional shit and toil with Stefan, with Katherine, with Elena.

But he _always _knew where he stood with Bonnie. She had never been shy on sharing her hatred of him.

Things had changed between them mainly because they needed to. And now they had gotten to a point where Bonnie could use the word "glad" when talking about _him, _and it wasn't in the context of "I'm glad Damon's dead" or "I'm glad someone shaved him bald."

"You're glad I'm here?" he asked.

Bonnie nodded her head and walked over to Stefan's bed to retrieve the teddy bear. Damon took it out of her hands at first not understanding what he was supposed to do with it. Was she giving him a gift? Or was he supposed to use this as a voodoo doll?

"I need your help with something. Some anonymous person left that on my door step, and" she showed him the text message. "I got this while I was away with Stefan. You aren't the one behind this, are you?"

Damon scoffed and looked downright offended. "Why the hell would I do that? Damon Salvatore doesn't do sappy shit like send a chick flowers, stuffed animals, or corny, clingy text messages. Try again."

Bonnie studied the seriousness on his face. "I didn't think so."

"Maybe they're from Ripper Stefan who's slowly becoming the Cowardly Lion again."

Bonnie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "He wouldn't have sent me a text message saying he missed me and I was practically…er…you know we were very close."

"I'll bet," Damon answered dryly. "So I'm guessing you're requesting my help in tracking down whoever is responsible?"

The diminutive witch nodded her head. "And can you use discretion? I don't want Stefan to know because he…he would unleash his inner Patrick Bateman."

"_American Psycho_ one of my favorites," Damon smiled.

"Why am I not surprised."

Just then Damon looked over his shoulder. "Speak of the ripper." He brought his gaze back to Bonnie. "And he shall appear. You're not giving me much to go on, but I'll see if Sheriff Forbes might be able to pull up your cell phone records to see where the call could have originated from. I can tell you right now, we probably won't find anything."

"I know but…the last thing we need is another problem. The text, the teddy bear, the pic that broke the camel's back…they might be from Klaus."

"Might be but he has a flair for the dramatic…he wouldn't be this subtle."

Damon took a few steps backwards, but Bonnie caught him by the arm. Her skin was so warm.

"Thank you, Damon."

"I never get tired of hearing you say that." Spontaneously he gently pulled one of her wet springy curls.

As soon as Damon disappeared, Stefan waltzed through his bedroom door. His face lit up like a kid on Christmas as he shut the door behind him.

"Do I need to mandate against taking showers without me?" he asked while he strolled up to Bonnie and picked her up. When her legs cleared the floor she wrapped them around his waist.

"No, but I have realized that since Caroline and Tyler broke up, you and I haven't spent much time together."

"Which is why I think you should move in with me."

Hun?

"Flag on the play," she said. "Stefan, despite the fact my father is hardly ever home, I can't just move in with you. It's too early for that."

"Are you sprouting advice you've read in Cosmo at me?" he demanded. "To lead some loser on for a year to see if he's really serious before deciding to co-habitate?"

To him it was the next logical step.

Bonnie's nostrils flared. "Why does everything have to go from zero to sixty with you? Why can't we just let our relationship grow the way it's supposed to? What's it gonna be next week? Picking out China patterns for our wedding?"

His jaw ticked but he had to chuckle.

He kissed her quickly on the lips. "I can't resist wanting to have you around all the time. You're just so much fun." He flashed those impossible puppy dog eyes at her. "Can you blame me?"

"No," Bonnie cupped his cheeks. "And we'll continue to have fun splitting time between your lair and mine." He chuckled and she smiled. "I'm not going anywhere, Stefan. I love you."

"Ti amo," he kissed her left cheek. "Ti dsesidero", then kissed her right cheek. "Ho un debole per te," and finally kissed her lips.

There was a flood between her legs. Stefan was sexy—hands down, but Stefan speaking Italian—smokin'-off-the-charts-need-to-get-him-naked-right-_now_ sexy!

When she pulled away she panted. "We should finish this conversation horizontally."

His grin was feral. "Well will as soon as you tell me why Damon was in my room."

Her mouth felt dry all of a sudden. "He was just checking up on me."

His gaze was unnerving but Bonnie steeled her spine and took his scrutiny. She had survived Damon at his most belligerent. Stefan was a piece of cake. Almost.

"Are you being _completely _honest with me, Bonnie? I'd hate to have to go beat the truth out of Damon. Never mind, I wouldn't hate it. I'd like it very much. I know the two of you have settled your differences."

"So you have nothing to worry about. Damon is...maybe he's a bit vulnerable but he's not going to let it show. The least I can do is be nice to him."

"As long as that's all you're doing for my brother...then I guess I shouldn't mind. But Damon comes with a lack of propriety and I don't want him all of a sudden trying to find reasons to be around you now that he and Elena are splitsville."

"I get it, Stefan, but he's a friend and I'm not going to treat him any differently than my other friends. It wouldn't be right. And Damon needs all the friends he can get."

Stefan snorted. "No matter how many arguments I have on the contrary you're not going to stay away from him. Are you?"

"I think you know me well enough to know the answer to that."

"So we're at an impasse on this?" Stefan rose a speculative eyebrow in the air.

"We don't have to be." They stared at each other. "I gave you a chance after learning your secret. Why not your brother? You might not like it, but trust _me,_" Bonnie laid a hand directly over her heart. "You are the only man I want, the only one who gets me wet between the legs."

His dick hardened to Titanic proportions.

"Have I made myself clear?" she asked.

"Like Venetian glass."

"Good...I'm horny."

Stefan laughed boisterously and took two large steps and dropped her on their new bed.

Cover your eyes, kids nothing to see here.

* * *

**A few days later...**

Damon wouldn't consider what he was doing as weird or creepy. He was merely people watching—yeah that sounded like a good term to use, people watching. However the two people he was "watching" weren't merely skipping along a yellow brick road through a park, or having a lively conversation on a street corner, or making out in a bistro, these people in particular were sleeping.

Nothing astonishing about watching the subtle rise and fall of someone's chest or back depending on the part of the body they slumbered on.

Yet, Damon found himself morbidly piqued by the way Stefan and Bonnie slept.

Couples either slept side by side turned facing each other or away or they spooned. His brother and his new girlfriend decided to up the ante with Bonnie sleeping on Stefan's back.

When Damon first casually strolled by he did a double take because he wasn't sure that what he was seeing was actually what he was seeing. He thought at first Bonnie was the only one in the bed, but it wasn't until Stefan turned his head in the direction of the door he discovered his brother was buried underneath the pixie-sized girl. Apparently they weren't uncomfortable. Bonnie had her face pressed between Stefan's shoulder's blades. He couldn't tell if she was lying directly on him or that only her upper torso was using his brother's back as a pillow. Not like it mattered.

Damon snorted and shook his head.

Stefan had spent a fortune on his new bed which was a monstrosity considering its size. It overpowered the room in its entirety barely leaving any walking space. So Damon couldn't help but scratch his head and wonder why spend all those beans on a king size bed when they were going to treat it like it was a twin?

But then Damon knew the answer to that too.

The bed had been custom made in the old English style. Stefan's and Bonnie's first initials were engraved in the massive headboard so there could be no mistake about who slept there.

Now if that wasn't a shameless plug for their high school romance Damon didn't know what was.

Suddenly his inner thoughts turned sour. Damon had loved exactly two women but he never loved them to the point he would have a bed specifically made with their initials carved into it. That seemed a bit extreme to him, but it made him wonder was that just a byproduct of really loving someone? Did it make you want to shout out to the heavens, put your stamp all over your loved one that you are theirs and they are yours and no one better not dream of interfering? Did it make you transform your entire life that the people who knew you wouldn't recognize you if you passed them on the street?

Did it chase away everything that made you dark and evil and replaced it with light and love?

Damon knew love could make you irrational, but could it be compounded by limits?

For the first time in a long time Damon could honestly say he envied Stefan.

Stefan had been loved almost obsessively by Katherine. He was then loved reverently by Elena. And now with Bonnie…

Their love was the stuff legends are made of. It was transcendental.

In the grand scheme of things Damon didn't think it was fair. The scales between he and Stefan had never been equal. They always tipped in Stefan's favor.

_Maybe because you were too slow to realize the diamond in the rough_, his traitorous mind thought.

Bonnie had been his sparring partner, his moral compass, his ethics and compliance instructor. She rode him harder than a Trojan horse. And she didn't have all these expectations lined up because she wanted him to be like Stefan. No, Bonnie had simply wanted him to care and own up to his mistakes, failures, and BS. To be accountable.

Now the ship has sailed and she's with Stefan. Happy and horny twenty-four seven.

The first night he heard them together, Damon fled the house to get plastered. The few times he caught Elena and Stefan in the act, their cries had been nothing more than a lot of deep breathing, a few high pitched sighs and of course growling, but nothing that would have broken the Richter scale.

At first he thought Bonnie was being murdered but then she laughed and shouted some obscenities he didn't think she'd ever let fall out of her mouth, and it was all followed by the sounds of flesh smacking into flesh.

Hearing her shamelessly made him hard in a second.

He couldn't stay in the house. Not while she was there and not while Stefan was f*cking her mercilessly like she commanded him to do.

And he tried his best to think of unpleasant things like seeing Jeremy in the shower, dog vomit, changing diapers, but his thoughts would inevitably return to Bonnie.

So as he drove, he allowed his mind to slip into fantasy mode. He imagined her skin would be butter soft and slippery with her sweat against his unchangeable stone. She looked like the type who would toss her head back offering a tantalizing view of her neck, a vampire's delicatessen. And he tried so very hard not to imagine the tightness of her heat.

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Damon? Hmm? Why? There are approximately one thousand and thirty-nine women in this town who are eighteen and older. And out of those prospects you can't find _one _who can love you and sex you down the way you like?"

That had been his unsuccessful pep talk.

But then he played back the couple's conversation about _him. _Bonnie saw him as a friend; Stefan saw him as a threat. That was nothing new, but the fact Bonnie openly admitted to being his friend...well it made him feel weird, not in a bad way but in the way a person would feel when they were included in something.

It went without saying it had been a while since anyone made Damon feel like he mattered to them.

This could lead to trouble.

Damon snapped his thoughts back to the present. Stefan shifted as if he was waking up and Damon flashed away.

Later that same day Damon was strolling through the house when he found Bonnie searching for something in the library.

He listened intently for any signs of his brother. Pleased that Stefan was nowhere to be found, Damon made a beeline for Bonnie. He made not a single sound to alert her of his sudden appearance and he waited for her to turn around and gasp at his unexpected presence.

"Damon," Bonnie said coolly and calmly as she extracted a book, examined the contents and then stuffed it back on the shelf.

"You're good," he said.

Bonnie looked at him over her shoulder. "I've learned to sense when another supernatural being is nearby. I've been caught unawares too many times in the past so I had to do something to rectify that."

What could he say? he was impressed by her preparedness. She was like a witchy version of a Girl Scout.

Ooh, Girl Scout outfit. Kinky. Focus, Damon.

Damon struggled with what to say to her next. Now that was definitely uncommon. He had an arsenal full of one-liners and snarky comments, but being this close to Bonnie after spending the better half of the morning thinking about her made him feel…shy? Inadequate?

"What are you looking for?" he fell back on safe.

"A book on the Cold War. I have a paper due and Stefan said the Salvatore library might have some writings on it. He couldn't remember exactly where they're shelved."

Damon pointed to a section of books that were on the second floor of the library.

"They should be up there."

Bonnie inclined her head thankfully at him and walked up the short flight of steps. She searched and searched and searched and wasn't surprised that Damon was right behind her.

They had come to a step ladder and Bonnie looked at Damon for advisement. He merely shrugged a shoulder.

"I have to ask," he said while eyeing her legs. She had selected to dress in a pair of violet mini-shorts and a plaid poplin blouse with a vest. Not exactly November attire but hey he wasn't going to complain. "Why don't you do that little spell you did when I asked you to find my favorite book?"

"I could," Bonnie said as she climbed up the ladder, "but sometimes I like doing things the old fashioned way. I don't want my powers to make me lazy. If I start to depend on them too much…if something catastrophic was to happen and I lost them…I'd still want to be able to function."

It was rational but Damon felt it could mount to being a total waste of time.

She peered down at him. "Have you looked into what we talked about the other night?"

"The sheriff pulled your records. The number came from a disposable phone; those are near to impossible to track. Have you received anymore gifts?"

Bonnie shook her head and went back to searching for the books.

"Ah, here we go." Bonnie carefully selected two large volumes on the Cold War.

"Hand them to me," Damon lifted his hand to catch them.

As Bonnie began to make her way down the steps she caught a flutter of movement to her right. When she chanced a look, she saw it was a large black and yellow spider about the size of an iPod.

Startled she lost her footing and fell but Damon was there to catch her.

They locked eyes and she was about to thank him over the pounding of her heart, however the spider wasn't done with her yet.

It came after Bonnie. She screamed as it landed somewhere in her hair. Damon dropped the books and began combing his fingers through her silken locks though Bonnie was making it rather difficult by screaming and performing an Indian rain dance.

He caught the little prick in his hand and threw it on the floor. His first instinct was to crush it right there in his palm but that would have been gross and Bonnie didn't need to have that engrained in her memory. As the spider righted itself, Damon stomped it to death with his heavy Durango boot.

"It's dead," he said above Bonnie's wails.

When Bonnie slowly simmered down that's when they both realized that she was practically wrapped around him like a koala bear.

She immediately jumped off of Damon and patted her hair back into place. She nervously bent down to retrieve the books, eyed the disgusting stain the crushed spider left on the floor, and rose to her feet again.

The adrenaline increased her blood volume—she was absolutely flushed. Her mouth was parted wide enough he could see her bottom teeth. Her natural floral scent infiltrated his airflow. And he realized, by being so close to her, that her hair wasn't simply chocolate but was a dizzying array of henna, crimson, and midnight strands. Her green eyes popped with animation.

It was no secret Damon had amazing I want–to-fuck-you-right-now eyes. But the way they were staring—no, no gazing at her like she was the most precious thing in the world scared her more than the spider.

Now would be a good time to kiss her, perfect even, Damon thought, but Bonnie looked down shyly.

"Thank you, Damon."

He cleared his throat immediately mourning the missed opportunity. "I never get tired of hearing you say that," he said repeating the exact words she said to him so many months ago.

Bonnie, with the books in hand quickly escaped him and the library.

She met Stefan at the door as he was entering the house. She ran into his arms and he felt her shaking.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

She pulled back to look into his eyes. "A spider tried to eat me. Damon killed it."

Stefan's forehead began to brood. Oh no!

"It didn't bite you did it?" he began checking her for little bite wounds.

Bonnie shook her head. She was certain it hadn't.

But it was clear something had bitten Damon.

Chapter end.

**A/N: I just wanted to clear something up real quick. I love the fact that this story is still generating reviews and people are stopping by to read it for the first time or all over again. (I first published this back in October 2011) For those of you who are new to reading this I completed this story earlier this year but took it down because I didn't want it to get deleted by the site when they were doing its annual crackdown. So in essence I'm not writing this as I go. It's already finished, I'm just re-posting with some major/minor edits. That being said there will be Bamon moments but there's tons of Stefonnie. I just hope no one bails because of that, but if so...sorry to lose a reader. But anywhoo thank you so much for reading, and leaving me your thoughts! Love you! **


	16. Warm Me Up

**A/N: Hello Everyone. Here is the latest. Please note this chapter is meant to be funny and light-hearted. Enjoy.  
**

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**

Sunlight filtered through tall trees. Dead leaves floated to the ground silently. The earth was in transition from fall to winter. With the changes came the birth of communicable diseases: the flu, the common cold, strep throat and anyone not properly inoculated could become its next victim.

The students of Mystic Falls High began dropping like flies when December rolled into town. First it was just an individual case of the sniffles by one Ms. Gentry who failed to catch her sneeze in a tissue thereby infecting the stack of graded test papers. She wiped her hands clean with sanitizer but it was too late for the papers as she began to distribute them to her Economics class.

One by one the absences became noticeable. Walking along the hallways and sitting in classrooms became a bio-hazard with dodging those who coughed, sneezed, or blew their nose without properly washing their hands afterwards. There were many who wanted to invest in quarantine suits.

Of course there were a handful that had a natural immunity from catching human sicknesses and diseases.

Unfortunately it skipped one such member of the elite club.

Caroline pounded on Bonnie's door tapping her foot against the porch looking both ways down the street. When the door finally opened, at first Caroline wanted to squeak. She had never seen Bonnie so disheveled.

Her skin had a mulish green tint to it, her chocolate hair stood up at odd angles around her head, with massive bird nest tangles hidden within. Her eyes looked positively dead and her lips were chapped along with the outer rim of her nostrils a sign of persistent wiping.

"What do you want, Caroline?" Bonnie sounded as if she were plugging her nose.

"I came to see if you're okay. You weren't in school today and I know a virus has been going around. Well," Caroline folded her arms over her chest, eyebrow arched as she gave her friend a disapproving once-over.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. She was sure Caroline was about to scold her that just because she had one foot in the grave didn't mean she had to look as if she just escaped the mental ward of the hospital.

"I see you are its latest victim."

Caroline marched inside Bonnie's abode and closed the door behind her. Bonnie had set up her sick bay in the living room. There were used and crumbled Kleenex tissues scattered all over the floor, couch, and table. Her poor friend had dragged her favorite comforter downstairs and it was currently strewn half on the couch and half on the floor. A glass of orange juice sat next to several bottles of medicine. The TV was on but the volume was cut down extremely low so low Caroline actually had to concentrate to hear what the couple on the screen was arguing about.

"Have you eaten anything?" Caroline queried.

Bonnie fell listlessly back on the couch and rewrapped herself in the comforter. "No." She coughed violently and then ran to the bathroom to spit out what Caroline assumed was a wad of phlegm.

_Gross, _Caroline thought and kind of stood paralyzed until Bonnie remerged from the bathroom looking exhausted as if the sudden movement used up the last of her depleting strength.

"Are you going to do something other than stare at me like a science experiment?" Bonnie snapped as she flung herself back on the couch and then felt the world tilt.

Caroline sniffed and then bypassed the couch altogether and took a seat on the overstuffed chair.

"I can make you something to eat."

Bonnie winced. "The thought of food makes me nauseous."

Caroline slapped her hands against her thighs. "Well, you need to put something in your stomach. How do you expect your body to fight this cold if you don't give it nourishment?"

"Caroline, please. I don't feel like being nagged right now. Look, thank you for coming to check up on me but please…just go."

The blonde's jaw dropped. "Uh, you are _so _not kicking me out right now."

"What do you want from me, chick?"

"I want to help you."

Bonnie cackled but it sounded as if someone were strangling her. And naturally all it did was give her another coughing fit.

Caroline got up, snatched Bonnie's untouched glass of orange juice and frowned when she noticed it was room temperature.

Not only that but the inside of the house was baking. As she made her way to the kitchen Caroline made a beeline for the thermostat. Her eyes widened when she saw that Bonnie had the temperature set at eight-five. Inconspicuously she lowered it to seventy-six.

"Don't you dare mess with that thermostat, Caroline," Bonnie warned. The girl in question merely shrugged her shoulders as she entered the kitchen unphased by Bonnie's attitude.

An hour and a half later…

A frazzled Caroline opened the front door. She beamed at the person standing on the other side of the threshold though her smile felt more mechanical than natural.

Damon stood there with his hands crossed behind his back. He heard Bonnie railing in the background and he quirked a dark brow at his inadvertent love child.

"What's the emergency?" he asked.

Caroline looked briefly over her shoulder. "Bonnie, Damon's here. Invite him in."

Damon leaned forward as much as he could before butting against the invisible shield that kept his kind out. He could make out only the top of Bonnie's disheveled head. The smell of sickness was heavy in the air and he flashed incredulous eyes up at Blondie who he realized was squeezing the life out of a bottle of liquid cough syrup.

"Damon," Bonnie's voice was raspy like Tone Loc's. "Come in."

He hesitated. Damon had no idea what he was walking into. From the irritated expression marring Caroline's features it was safe to say that Bonnie was being a little difficult. He calmly strode through the front door and entered a house he never thought he'd see the interior of during this century.

Caroline closed the door and stomped back into the living room. Damon followed behind her, his eyes darting and cataloguing the layout and décor of the Bennett household. He surmised it was decorated with modern furniture with a few antique pieces mixed throughout. All-in-all he wasn't surprised or impressed.

"Where's that brother of mine?" Damon directed at Bonnie who stared at the television like a zombie and kind of resembled one. To say he was surprised to get an urgent text from Caroline demanding his presence, his interest was definitely piqued that she would reach out to him to help her with a problem pertaining to Bonnie and not Bonnie's guard dog.

Annoyance flashed on Bonnie's face as she pulled the large comforter higher up her chest. "I don't know where your piece of crap brother is."

His eyes widened. Was there trouble in paradise so soon? He dared not to hope. When he looked at Caroline for confirmation who turned out to be no help at all—merely shrugged her shoulders-Damon shook his head sadly.

"Whoa aren't you little, Ms. Sunshine," he teased.

"Look, I can't breathe, can't sleep, I can't stop coughing and I keep getting hot and cold like I'm going through menopause," Bonnie complained. "So excuse me if I'm in a bad mood."

"Yeah," Caroline quickly added, "and she keeps throwing things at me. I swear Bonnie is the only person on the planet who turns mean when she's sick." She looked imploringly at Damon. "I've given her half a bottle of Nyquil," then she turned back to Bonnie, "and she _won't _pass out."

Damon shook his head and removed his leather coat. He threw it on whatever available surface he could find. He snatched the bottle out of Caroline's hands and headed over to Bonnie. It would seem this called for a man's touch.

He pulled the comforter away from Bonnie who immediately grabbed for it, but he tugged it away.

"Okay, Blondie I got it from here. Scram."

Caroline flushed with instant relief but then hesitated. She couldn't leave Bonnie alone with Damon. What if Stefan showed up and got the wrong idea and then tried to kill him? Bonnie was weak and defenseless. She wouldn't be able to use her witchy ju-ju to put a stop to it.

"Maybe I should stay," she said cautiously.

Damon swept Bonnie up into his arms. She frowned at him. "Put me down."

He shook his head. "You should be in bed."

"I like being on the couch."

"You can't get comfortable on a couch. Now quit your complaining and let me take care of you."

Her bottom lip poked out. "Why are _you_ here?"

Good question, but Damon ignored her as he headed towards the stairs.

"Blondie, have a good night."

"Bonnie are you gonna be all right?" Caroline followed Damon and Bonnie as far as the bottom step of the staircase.

"I don't have much of a choice," she said as Damon toted her to her room. Once there he pulled back the covers and deposited her in the middle of the bed. Bonnie hissed against the frostiness of the sheets and then watched petulantly as Damon tucked her in. But then he did a double take. Why was her hair in pigtails?

Bonnie read the question on his face and rolled her eyes. "Caroline."

Enough said.

"I'm going to make you some chicken noodle soup, and you're going to eat it even if I have to put you on my knee and force feed you."

Bonnie rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut. She was too cranky to argue.

When he saw that Bonnie wasn't going to squabble, Damon retreated downstairs.

Naturally Caroline was still there but he found her in the kitchen rummaging through the refrigerator. Damon grabbed the box of Kleenex and the untouched glass of OJ and ran it upstairs to Bonnie.

Then he joined Caroline in the kitchen.

"Yeah, I bought some stuff when she took a mini-cat nap and I do mean mini. Everything should be here for an awesome broth or whatever."

Damon said nothing as he rolled up his sleeves and searched through the cabinets for a large pot.

"Okay well I'm going to go. If anything happens…call me."

"Uh-hun," Damon said absently as he began to wash off the fresh vegetables. Caroline studied him for a moment deeply curious that he didn't bitch and complain about his schedule being interrupted, and arrived at Bonnie's in record time. But then Caroline bit her tongue. She could save her interrogation for another day.

Damon was halfway through preparing the main ingredients for the soup when the front door opened. In less than a tenth of a second, Stefan stood at the kitchen threshold watching him with a tick in his jaw.

"What the hell are you doing here? And how did you get in?"

Damon smiled jovially as he waved with a knife in his hand. "Cooking, brother what does it look like?"

"Where's Bonnie?"

"In her room."

"Caroline called me. She said Bonnie's sick."

"Yep."

The tick became a hammer in Stefan's jaw. "So pray tell, why are you here?"

Damon merely sliced and diced the vegetables and dropped it in the simmering chicken broth. "I'm helping take care of our girl. You weren't reachable for whatever reason so Caroline contacted me. I was only too happy to help."

Stefan's eyes flashed murder for a second. He didn't like that Damon was here and he sure as hell didn't like his reference of Bonnie being _their girl. _But annoyingly he felt he owed an explanation for why he wasn't there to take care of Bonnie.

"You can go now. I'm here and I would have been here sooner if Rebekah didn't try to talk a hole in my head. I swear that chick needs some friends."

"Hey, I understand placating the blond original comes first," Damon grinned.

Stefan's teeth ground on top of one another and instead of lashing out by planting his fist through Damon's smug face, he merely retraced his steps through the living room and sped upstairs.

Upon entering Bonnie's room he noted that she was passed out in bed with her mouth hanging wide open. The floor was littered with used tissues. As he moved closer to her, he felt Damon materialize out of nowhere with a thermometer.

"Its time to check her temperature. Flip her over."

Stefan balked. "You're not sticking that up my girlfriend's ass. She's not a baby, Damon."

The elder Salvatore snorted. "Well you weren't here earlier because she sure was fussy."

Stefan sighed and stretched out his hand. "Give it to me. I'll check her temperature and why don't you go finish your brew, and then kick rocks."

"No, I got this, Stefan now just step aside."

Unfortunately Stefan wasn't down for that and reached for the thermometer but Damon held it out of reach. Their commotion woke Bonnie up who simultaneously wiped her chin and her eyes.

"Hey," her throat felt like she swallowed hot coals. Her head pounded like her brain cells were throwing a rave, and the room wouldn't stop spinning.

Stefan was by her side in an instant. He reached for her hand and kissed it. Her skin which usually ran hot was scorching to the point it caused him some discomfort just to handle her, but he didn't want Damon to know.

"I'm here," he said and then looked over her appearance. Gah! His poor Bonnie looked like she was in a plane crash and was then attacked by a legion of squirrels. He sharply looked up at Damon. "Did you do that to her hair?"

"I'm not taking credit for that. You can thank Caroline."

"Would you two stop talking so loudly," Bonnie moaned.

Damon at that time handed the thermometer over to Stefan, but he kept his gaze on Bonnie. "I'm going to check on the soup. It should be ready and you need to eat. I don't need you to become skin and bones. And Stefan make yourself useful and get rid of all those used tissues," he grimaced.

Sighing, Stefan kissed Bonnie's hand and dropped to his knees to pick up her used tissues. Naturally this made him recoil although he had no chance of catching her germs, but still it wasn't any less repulsive handling her snotty tissues. He quickly threw them away in the trashcan in the bathroom, washed his hands and then grabbed a washcloth. He saturated it, approached Bonnie and wiped her eyes, her nose, and her mouth. There, she looked…well not exactly kissable but a heck of a lot better.

Damon had returned with a serving tray laden with a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup, and a fresh glass of orange juice.

Stefan went back into the bathroom to hang up the towel and when he returned he found Damon sitting in bed beside Bonnie, his right arm wrapped around her propping her up, the left blowing on the spoon prior to feeding Bonnie the soup.

Her skin was so hot it was kind of making Damon sweat but he could endure it if it meant equally being close to Bonnie and pissing off Stefan.

"In you go," Damon said and spoon fed Bonnie. She sighed happily as the hot soup calmed down the raging fire in her throat. "Is it good?" he whispered as if they were the only two people in the room.

Bonnie enthusiastically nodded her head, and snuggled closer. She was a snuggler. Damon smirked.

Stefan watched them. It would be amazing if he had any teeth left by the end of the night. He kept grinding his molars on top of one another feeling several levels of irritation one) by the fact he wasn't there for Bonnie when she needed him two) because Damon was there and three) he and Bonnie looked far too cozy with one another for two people who supposedly hated each other guts.

Damon started making airplane engine noises which elicited a tiny laugh from Bonnie who obediently opened her mouth for the next spoonful.

_Enough of this shit, _Stefan vowed and approached the bed. He reached for the spoon and wasn't surprised when Damon refused to let go.

"Okay Ms. Doubtfire you can go. I have it from here."

"Stefan, don't be rude. I'm in the middle of feeding Bonnie. She hasn't eaten all day."

Stefan kept his eyes trained on his brother as the two began to engage in a catty game of tug-o-war with the spoon.

"Please don't fight," Bonnie interjected and of course was promptly ignored.

But when they started throwing their full strength behind it they accidentally jostled the tray and slosh, the scolding hot soup landed in Bonnie's lap.

There was a pregnant pause of inactivity for a second or two before Bonnie threw the tray off the bed, the bowl with it. It shattered to pieces. Bonnie climbed out of bed madder than a bull elephant being attacked by fire ants.

"You…" bleep bleep bleep! "Can't believe you…" bleep bleep bleep bleep! Bleeeepppppp!

She stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. The vampire siblings were frozen like statues.

Stefan was the first to thaw as he approached the door and tried the knob only to find it was locked. He listened intently.

"She's crying."

"I'm not surprised. It's bad enough she's sick she probably has first degree burns no thanks to you," Damon seethed as he got up from the bed and immediately began stripping it. His obsession flared to life. He couldn't stand messes or stains.

"Me?" Stefan spun around and faced his brother with a thunderous expression on his face. "She's my fucking girlfriend and I don't need my brother to look after her. That's my job."

"You don't _need_ to keep reminding me of that, Stefan I get it. Bonnie is your property. What the fudge ever, but you weren't around to take care of her so I stepped up to the plate."

Stefan growled. He and Damon could go at this all night but his brother had raised a valid point. Bonnie might have first degree burns and he needed to focus on that and check on her, so he broke the doorknob and entered the bathroom.

Damon stomped through Bonnie's house looking for a fresh pair of linens to dress the bed. When he found them and re-entered her room, Bonnie flew out of the bathroom and began stripping.

Off went her flannel top and he saw her bare breasts for a tenth of a second before she turned sideways to open up the top drawer of her bureau. _Such lovely tits_, he thought. Next she pulled the matching flannel pants off and unfortunately she wasn't wearing a skimpy pair of underwear. They were just plain cotton bikini cut knickers.

When Stefan emerged he saw that Bonnie was standing practically naked in a room where Damon was present. He grabbed the sheets out of Damon's hand, took his brother by the arm, and promptly threw him out.

The door was slammed in Damon's face.

Gently Stefan took Bonnie by the shoulders and turned her to face him. Her cheeks were enflamed, tears coated her skin and her breathing was extremely shallow. He engulfed her quaking body.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Why can't you two ever get along?"

Stefan shrugged. "I have no idea."

Bonnie pulled away from him. "Well figure it out. I'm too sick and tired to deal with y'alls BS."

"You're absolutely right." He reached for her robe and draped it on her. "I'm going to take care of everything, okay."

Bonnie wiped her face and then sat down on her desk chair.

Stefan cleaned up the spilled soup, changed the bed, and began to run her bath.

He made her a fresh bowl of soup and was glad Damon had cut his losses and disappeared. The both of them had behaved like idiots and it wasn't until now that Stefan understood the reason for it.

They equally cared for Bonnie.

But then that nagging feeling of history repeating itself pricked Stefan. Damon was doing it all over again. Falling for a girl _he _liked first. Stefan scoffed, were they just genetically predisposed to love the same woman no matter what?

Bonnie had moved from the desk chair to her bed when he came back in the room. The pigtails were gone too, he noticed. Stefan sat the bowl of soup on the beside table, and handed her the spoon. With the bath ready, he began to strip out of his clothes.

Of course Bonnie enjoyed the show as she ate the spicy soup. It was creamy and delicious and for a second she wondered which parent Damon got his culinary skills from but amended, he was probably a natural cook, as vampires tended to be good at nearly everything. But as Grams would say you could tell when someone prepared a dish with love.

She dropped the spoon no longer hungry.

Which was right on time because Stefan had finished undressing and approached her. He pulled her to her feet and untied her bathrobe. He pushed it off her shoulders at the same time he kissed her forehead.

Silently they made their way to the bathroom. He stepped in first and helped Bonnie. Together they sat down with her back using his chest as a pillow. Several candles in various scents had been lit giving off the only illumination in the room.

Stefan picked up a clear bottle and poured the oil in the water. "It's eucalyptus oil; it'll help your respiratory system."

This was the way she wanted to be taken care of. Not manhandled, not burned, not fought over like a chew toy.

Stefan massaged her shoulders, bathed, and dried her. Back in her room, he carefully rubbed her chest with Vick's vapor rub—tried his best not to let his hands travel farther down her body, and dressed her in an oversized t-shirt she used to sleep in during her freshman year in high school. Together they climbed back on the bed.

"How do you feel?" he kissed the crown of her head.

"Like shit that was finally flushed down the toilet."

"Okay," he drew out the word.

Bonnie angled her head to look up at him. "I feel better and…loved."

* * *

**Two weeks later…**

Snow covered the ground, and it wasn't a light sprinkling like powdered sugar over a funnel cake, but a good four or five inches had fallen quietly overnight, and blanketed everything.

Bed sheets rustled as one prone body came awake, squinting against the brightness in the room. Not a minute later, the other body hidden deep within the thick blanket and warm sheets began to stir.

Bonnie wrapped herself tightly around Stefan before yawning like a lion. As her eyes fluttered and adjusted to the brightness streaming in from the windows, she had a feeling of disorientation as if she drank too much or siphoned too many sips of a strong cough medicine. Then suddenly she remembered she attended Mystic Grill's Christmas party the night before, and drank one too many cups of Mr. Meyer's special eggnog. She wasn't a fan of eggnog but since there were adults present she couldn't actually order a real drink.

Her head spun a little and beat against her skull in a rebellious tattoo but it wasn't enough to ground her in bed for the rest of the day. Besides it was Christmas—her favorite holiday of the year, and there were gifts to open and most importantly to exchange.

Unfortunately thinking about gifts made her think about the mysterious teddy bear that was left on her door step three weeks ago. She was no closer to discovering who gave it to her and why. Bonnie was hoping that whoever was involved would give up and go away, but perhaps it was intuition telling her this was merely the beginning.

Stefan's mane of unruly caramel hair tickled her forehead as he tightened his arms around her. Bonnie knew she should have been home, waking up in her own bed, but her father's flight had been cancelled at the last minute so he was currently stuck in Michigan and wouldn't be able to get a flight out until the following day. Sadly this wouldn't be their first time celebrating Christmas separately.

Bonnie forced herself not to think of the _one_ tradition out of fifteen years she would be breaking today.

Instead she focused on the steady rise and fall of Stefan's chest and the tingling sensation that ran up and down her spine whenever they were next to each other, shared the same space.

For his part, Stefan didn't want to move. Waking up with Bonnie curled around him like a python in the bed they picked out together made him feel full like a tick. He wasn't ready to share her with expectations and duties she had promised to fulfill to her blonde best friend. He just wanted to soak up her heat, her presence, her love for however long he could getaway with it.

Surprisingly it was hard for Stefan to remember any Christmas before this one. He vaguely remembered last year's Christmas with Elena and a disgruntled Damon. It wasn't exactly a memory he wanted to keep. Nevertheless he and Damon had been cordial to one another—only for Elena's sake. But, he could remember minute details such as Elena's look of surprise when he gave her an antique set of hair combs. Lord save him. He was such a freaking puss back then. So dang _noble_!

A little devilish smile popped out on his face as he thought of all the packages waiting under the huge tree with Bonnie's name written on them. Some of them were nice but many more of them were naughty.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning and Merry Christmas."

Bonnie purred. "Merry Christmas to you, too. Is it time to open up presents yet?" she asked with a wide, childish grin on her face.

"In a minute, relax, we have all day. But I am curious about something."

"What?"

"I want to know what your top five favorite Christmas presents were."

Bonnie used his outstretched arm as a pillow and thought of her answers before replying. "Number one would be my Cabbage patch doll. Number two—an electric scooter, yeah don't ask. Number three—my first cell phone; it was neon pink. Number four—my grandmother's favorite necklace which she gave me; actually you've seen it."

He lifted an eyebrow in surprise. "I have?"

"You remember the rose gold wreath necklace I wore the night of the Awards dinner?"

Stefan retrieved that memory from his permanent Bonnie file. "That was Sheila's?"

"Yeah, my dad found a pair of matching earrings and the bracelet. He didn't give me those until my birthday, but…that was the first time I felt as if he paid attention to me," she added softly—thoughts tumbling down the drain to misery.

A weird spirit kind of settled on the atmosphere and Bonnie shook it away. She was happy and if she had to fight to stay that way all day, come hell or high water, she'd do it. Nothing was going to spoil this day.

"And your fifth favorite present?" Stefan sensed her minor slip into melancholia and wanted to get her back on track.

Bonnie smiled and tightened her arms around him. "You."

"You name me dead last? Pun not intended."

"You're misunderstanding me. I _saved_ the best for last."

Was it possible for boys to swoon? Stefan wasn't sure but he sure did feel the world tilt.

"Now it's your turn, Mr. Salvatore. What are your top-five favorite Christmas presents?"

Stefan shifted in bed until he loomed on top of her. Bonnie spread her legs to accommodate him.

"Your mouth."

Bonnie slapped his arm in rebuke but grinned. Stefan said nothing as he leaned down for a quick taste of her lips.

"Your neck," he said and nibbled her skin until Bonnie giggled and inclined her head away from his oh-so talented mouth. It wasn't long before he began to journey down her body laying soft kisses to whatever piqued his fancy.

"Your breasts."

And Bonnie arched off the bed when she felt his sharp teeth graze her nipples causing them to spring to life.

"Your…" and he showed her exactly what he was getting at by placing a kiss directly on the center of her body.

"And finally, your legs. They are by far my most favorite present to unwrap and open."

Bonnie giggled. "You are so nasty."

Stefan popped his head out from under the covers. "But you like it when I'm nasty."

"I plead the fifth."

"That's okay; I have ways and measures of getting you to talk, to incriminate yourself."

"Unfortunately we're going to have to put that on hold. We have a lot to do today before heading over to Caroline's for dinner."

Stefan pouted but then snuggled against Bonnie, using her stomach as a pillow. "Why did you have to agree to have dinner with her? I could have cooked."

"You could have but…it's kind of tradition. We all spend Christmas together."

Stefan knew this was hard for Bonnie, this being her first Christmas without Elena and she was putting on a brave front not to let it show. Inwardly he growled. Seriously everyone he knew just gave Elena too much clout, slapped her on a pedestal with no way of reaching her or living up to her high expectations. Even though she no longer hanged around the "gang" she still had a way of infiltrating their fun. People would kind of look off to the side like someone else was supposed to be among them. Stefan never really believed in doing business as usual, so everyone should just get over Elena and work past their withdrawals, and move on with life.

If Elena could write off her life-long friends so easily, why couldn't everyone else?

_Hope_, something inside of him answered. Hope was for saints and sinners not for a vampire.

Bonnie ran her fingers through Stefan's hair, combing his scalp. As much as she didn't want to think about Elena she did but only in the context of she had heard from Alaric that she and Jeremy chose to spend the holiday at their parents' lake house.

All too soon their quiet moment was interrupted as Bonnie delivered a sharp slap to his shoulder. Stefan groaned, rolled out of bed, and pulled Bonnie with him.

Together they washed in his large bathtub and of course got distracted.

Dressed in lounging outfits they traipsed downstairs. Bonnie squealed as she saw the formal living room almost covered from corner to corner with brightly and ornately wrapped gifts.

Like a kid she dove into the fray opening the largest wrapped box first. It was fifty-two inch flatscreen for her bedroom.

In all Stefan had blessed her with designer outfits and shoes, lingerie from La Perla, another leather coat, jewelry and other baubles, and several anthologies on Greek and Celtic mythology. Hmm…

Her gifts to him hadn't been quite as extravagant but Stefan had repeatedly told her he didn't need or want anything other than her. Still she couldn't leave him hanging so she bought him a Swiss Army watch, several button down shirts, slacks, and jeans from Express, and a pair of his favorite cap top boots that were all the rage back in the late eighteen hundreds, but had come back into style as of late.

"There's one more under here with your name on it," Stefan hinted.

Bonnie was up to her neck in torn wrapping paper. "I think I got enough."

When Stefan pushed the box across to her, she heard something scuffling inside. She raised a suspicious eyebrow in the air, eyed him and the box, and finally opened the lid.

She screamed.

Out she pulled a British shorthaired cat.

"Oh, my God, Stef you shouldn't have."

"Yes, I should have. When I saw her I knew she was the one for you."

Bonnie leaned over and kissed him recklessly. She wasn't exactly sure if she was a cat person, but she felt an instant connection with the green eyed animal as it began to purr and rub its small head against her neck.

"What are you going to name her?"

"Glad to know it's a girl I'm dealing with." Bonnie thought for a moment before the perfect name sprung to mind. "Sheila."

"It fits," Stefan agreed and reached over tentatively to touch the animal. It didn't bristle away from his touch. Most animals, especially cats could sense him as a predator and would immediately turn aggressive. But not this one for she curled up in Bonnie's lap as if she had been her owner her whole life.

There was a loud thumb from upstairs. "Damon's up," Stefan announced.

"Oh, I'll be right back."

"I know you aren't about to leave me with the clean up," Stefan asked incredulously.

"I'll be back in one minute." Bonnie kissed him again and sat Sheila on the floor who whined in protest. "Keep him company," she said to the cat before getting to her feet and heading upstairs.

Bonnie went into hers and Stefan's room and retrieved a black bag she had hidden, then retraced her steps and not a minute later knocked on Damon's door.

"Enter," he said.

Bonnie pushed the door open and found the elder Salvatore fully dressed in his legendary head-to-toe black. His face was impassive as he watched her approach him trying to poorly hide a black gift bag behind her back.

"You're up early," Bonnie said by way of an introduction.

"Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean I have to loiter in bed all day. Besides I'm expected at the Forbes' later today."

Right, he and the Sheriff…had an understanding. She wouldn't say they were tight, not like they were before Mason Lockwood spilled the beans on Damon's secret. They had a working relationship that was tentative at best, but the Sheriff still thought enough of him to count him as a friend and invited him to dinner.

"In any case," Bonnie went on to say, "I got you something." She held the bag out to him. "Merry Christmas, Damon."

Damon was…flabbergasted. He had already prepared himself not to expect to receive anything from anyone other than contempt for his existence and pity for the fact he would be cuddling with his favorite bottle of Jack at the end of the night.

_All right Damon you are two seconds from sounding like a movie that airs on Lifetime_, he admonished himself.

Of course he couldn't let Bonnie know how…pleased he was that she thought enough about him to get him something. He'd probably hate it anyways since no one knew his personality quite like the way he did and would screw up royally in trying to get him a gift.

"Is it porn?" he teased.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "No, it's a full season of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Your favorite, I heard."

Damon snorted. "That Stefan gotta love 'em," he muttered and pulled the black tissue paper out of the bag. At the bottom was a bundle that he retrieved and then ripped the fragile paper that surrounded it.

It was a frame and inside the frame was…

Damon blinked his eyes and rubbed them for good measure. "Is this…is this me and Stefan?"

When he brought his ice blue eyes to her, Bonnie looked at everything but him. "I was hoping you could tell me."

The picture was a black and white—well more gray and yellow—but when it was first printed had been a black and white photo of Damon and Stefan when Damon was maybe twelve, and Stefan had turned eight. The two brothers were standing side by side dressed in their Sunday's best. Photography back then was expensive and most families had to save for an entire year before having their portrait taken. Unfortunately most people didn't have their picture taken until they died—memorial photography had been the rage back then.

"Where the hell did you find this?" he fought to ask through the thickness tightening his throat.

"I searched and searched through the historical records. I wasn't expecting to find anything and I almost missed it because it had been wrongly placed in a box of deceased children. But…I knew it was you and Stefan because your eyes gave you away. No one has eyes like yours."

Bonnie blushed and stopped talking. Giving Damon a compliment could backfire in so many ways.

Instead he looked up sharply. "No one has eyes like you either," spilled from his lips. Bonnie waited for his snarky add-on like "eyes full of judgment", but he said nothing else aside from:

"Thank you, Bonnie."

She smiled easily enough and was ready to leave him alone.

"Actually I got you something," Damon admitted.

Bonnie lost her eyebrows to her hairline. "You did? You didn't have to get me anything, Damon."

The immortal said nothing just walked over to his closet, reached for something on the top shelf and presented a velvet box to Bonnie.

Tentatively she took it out of his hands, shook it a little before opening it.

Her jaw fell open.

It was a pair of princess cut diamond earrings with perfect clarity.

"Damon…"Bonnie was completely speechless."Thank you. They're beautiful." She looked up at him and he looked slightly uncomfortable as if he were steeling himself against her throwing her arms around his shoulders and hugging him senseless.

"I'll wear them tonight," she promised.

A new tension was in the air. Something between them shifted again. It felt a tad bit uncomfortable, like seeing someone for the first time that you hadn't seen in a long time. You weren't sure if they would remember you but you were willing to take the leap and throw yourself in their life again.

They stood in front of each other not knowing what came next and then Bonnie remembered she had volunteered to cook breakfast.

"You should come down for breakfast. I mean…I haven't cooked it yet…but…you should try eating food instead of eating your regular breakfast of champions."

"Don't you mean drinking my breakfast of champions?"

"Yeah. Well…thanks for the earrings."

He held up the picture she gave him and smiled. "Thank you for this."

If they said the words "thank you" to one another again the world might cease to exist. Bonnie hightailed it out of his room.

Once he was alone Damon sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at the photo of him and Stefan. Back then they had been thick as thieves when they weren't scrapping and purposely getting one another into trouble. They had been brothers but had allowed outside influences to pit them against each other and the year after this picture had been taken, that's when Damon recalled the beginning of their fierce rivalry.

Their father had made it no secret who he wished his first born had been. But to Damon, Stefan was such a little weakling!

However, Giuseppe didn't view his youngest son in that light. Stefan was his pride and joy mostly because Stefan was his personal parrot and mirrored everything Giuseppe did and jumped whenever he commanded him to.

Damon, he listened when he felt like it, when he was in the mood. Of course this pricked his father's ire like a lute but Damon didn't care because he had plans to decimate his father's reputation by any means necessary.

But he had made the colossal mistake of underestimating his father and he paid dearly for it.

Damon clutched the frame until the glass cracked. When he loosened his grip he searched for some place to hide it. He was glad to have a small piece of his childhood back, but he was also pissed off by it. Not pissed off Bonnie had given it to him, but pissed off because he and Stefan weren't those smiling rosy-cheek boys anymore.

They were grown men who on a good day couldn't stand each other. That's what he had grown accustomed to. And that's how it would continue to be so long as Stefan remained under Klaus' compulsion. Sometimes Damon questioned if he wanted Stefan's humanity to turn back on. There were parts of the jackass Stefan he liked and could identify with, but still…

Damon snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the summons for his presence in the formal dining room. Breakfast was ready.

* * *

Bonnie draped in a red, tea length satin dress waited by the front door. She touched up her lip stick and blew kisses at Sheila who rested on the bottom step.

"Ready?" Stefan picked up his car keys, grabbed his coat, and reached for Bonnie's hand.

"I am," and she found it equally hard to keep her eyes off Stefan. He looked downright juicy, handsome, and all over yummy in the fitted black button down shirt he paired with his black European cut trousers, and a black skinny tie. Stefan usually left the all-black ensembles to Damon, but he wanted to wear the outfit from Express that Bonnie had gotten him. Besides having her covered in fire engine red would off-set his monochromatic attire.

Just as they had stepped outside, Damon came strolling up to them whistling.

"Can I catch a ride to the Forbes'? I lost my keys."

Earlier…

Damon had no intentions of going to the Forbes' stag. So he purposely unscrewed the drain to his shower and dropped his car keys.

Oops.

Riling up Stefan would be his Christmas gift to himself.

Currently…

Stefan was ready to tell Damon to turn into a vulture and fly his ass over to Caroline's but Bonnie, ever the peacemaker, gave him that look, the look he couldn't say no to and not have it bother him, and sighed heavily.

"Fine, but you're sitting in the back."

Stefan grumbled all the way to the car and opened the door for Bonnie.

Yeah, there was no tension in the car once Stefan slid behind the wheel and Damon occupied the backseat.

As soon as Stefan started the engine, "Think Twice" by Eve 6 began playing. How very fitting, the younger Salvatore thought as he pulled away from the boardinghouse.

Think twice before you touch my girl  
Come around I'll let you feel the burn  
Think twice before you touch my girl  
Come around come around no more  
Think twice before you touch my girl  
Come around I'll let you feel the burn  
Think twice before you touch my girl  
Come around no more

She spreads her love  
She burns me up  
I can't let go  
I can't get out  
I've said enough  
Enough by now  
I can't let go  
I can't get out

Bonnie snapped her head in Stefan's direction only he was too busy giving Damon his notorious death glare in the rearview mirror. Damon for his part only chuckled and pulled out a flask.

"Stefan don't you think you should put on something a little more…I don't know…Christmas-y?" Bonnie suggested.

"Is that even a word?" Damon wondered aloud.

"In my defense I had this playing before we all decided to carpool. You can change the station," he looked at Bonnie.

"Thank you," Bonnie said and found a nice contemporary station that was playing all the jams…from the 1950's.

Bonnie shifted in her seat so she could look at both Damon and Stefan. "We're going to have so much fun you guys. This is going to be the best Christmas ever."

"Bonnie you're giving me a toothache; you're just too sweet for me," Damon winked to which Bonnie chuckled.

Stefan rolled his eyes, tightened his hand on the steering wheel proud of the fact he wasn't imagining it was Damon's neck and continued through town to the Forbes residence.

To be continued…

**A/N: Thank you oh so much for reading! Love you guys!**


	17. Happy Holidays

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

"Come on Alaric, move those buns up the ladder. I'm expecting a house full of people in less than half an hour and I need those reindeer in perfect alignment."

The teacher with the Ken doll good looks stared down at his imprudent student with an eyebrow lifted in the air. "You do realize that for all intents and purposes I'm your teacher and you shouldn't be commenting on my buns?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Please, we've been through more than any student/teacher should together. Consider it a miracle we haven't seen each other naked. Although that's bit of a bummer on my part."

"Sheesh, Caroline will you _lower_ your voice? Your mother is inside and she's armed for crying out loud," Alaric barked to which Caroline chuckled and let go of the ladder.

She kept her eyes on him as he climbed down and wiped his hands clean of fallen snow.

"If you think my mother is immune to your hotness…think again. She might wear that ugly _Curious George _uniform doesn't mean she's not a woman. Why do you think she extended you an invite? Because she wants to pick your brain about The Renaissance? Pul-leeze. I can count on one hand how many conversations you've actually had with Liz Forbes, and southern hospitality aside, she wouldn't have thought twice about inviting you. So that can only mean one thing…she's husband hunting."

Alaric was glad his ability to blush ended once he made it out of his teen years alive. Hearing from one of your pseudo students that her gun-toting mom may have the hots for you was a little unsettling. He was sure somewhere in the mid-west this would be a moment highlighted in a film with the title _American Pie_, but for one Alaric Saltzman it was just plain weird.

Not to say he didn't think Liz was a looker, but Caroline was right. He didn't have that many conversations with the town's lone female sheriff and every time he saw her she was in uniform like she slept in it or something.

"How bout we agree to stay out of each others personal lives and I won't ask you about Tyler?"

The smile was wiped clean off Caroline's face.

"Low blow, dude," she whined and took down the ladder.

"Now that means you've learned something valuable, Caroline. Don't dish what you can't take."

"I can take it; it's just that _you _didn't have to go there."

Alaric chuckled and shrugged a shoulder.

After putting the ladder back in the shed, the two retreated inside her one-story casa where the smells of gingerbread, sautéed onions, and pine were heavy in the air.

Two of Caroline's smaller cousins were terrorizing one another as they raced from room to room. Their mother was passed out on the couch fanning herself with an oven mitten. Her poor Aunt Lisa; she was spending her first Christmas as a legally separated woman. Aunt Lisa and her Uncle Vincent were well on their way to divorce court. This prompted Liz to invite her younger sister and niece and nephew to come spend the holidays with her to help ease the pain and help the kids' transition from being a family of four to three.

And as much as Caroline loved her family she had gotten used to the quiet emptiness of her house. Now it was constant noise with Victor and Victoria running around as if they lost their minds.

She had forgotten how loud and annoying small children could be. However part of her was thrilled because her house felt like a home and besides it was Christmas.

Caroline quickly made her way to her bedroom and screamed to high heaven.

"_What_ are you bloodsuckers doing in my room?" she railed at Victor and Victoria. Victor was currently strapping one of her bras around his head, while Victoria smeared lipstick on her face like it was lotion.

Caroline pointed towards her open door. "Out!" she ordered brusquely.

"You're mean," Victoria whined and dropped the tube of lipstick without putting the cap back on. A nice red smudge was left on the floor. Victor behaved as if he were deaf and began making sound effects with his mouth as he began shooting at invisible enemies. Caroline approached the little boy, and snatched her bra off his head.

"Hey that's mine! Give it back!" he complained and tried reaching for her bra which Caroline easily kept out of his reach since he came no higher than her ankle.

Nevertheless Caroline caught Victor by the arm—not too tightly—and flung him out the door. She shut it in his face for good measure.

"It's a good thing I'm sterile," she said to the four walls of her bedroom and changed into her Christmas threads, a beautiful red sheath that stopped about mid-thigh.

The doorbell sounded and Caroline was off to play the perfect hostess.

"Merry Christmas, B!" she beamed after she threw open the door and wrapped Bonnie up in a bear hug.

"Merry Christmas, Care," Bonnie hugged her back taking care not to smudge any makeup on Caroline's outfit or drop the large shopping bag she had brought with her.

Caroline barely glanced at the two guys accompanying Bonnie. The three vampires all sort of mumbled Merry Christmas to one another.

The inside of the Forbes' residence looked like the outside of a gingerbread house. There were garlands, wreaths, tinsel, icicle lights, holly, and lots and lots of mistletoe all around. That could become problematic later on.

Stefan assisted Bonnie with her coat, and as Damon began his progress inside the house, a small miniature human blocked his path.

The little girl inclined her neck to stare up at the giant before her. Her eyes then traversed over to Stefan. She clutched her heart and let out a loud scream that garnered everyone's attention.

The household froze.

"Uh-oh, what did I do?" Damon wasn't sure if the girl knew what he was but he watched in stalled apprehension as the little girl swooned and fainted with a shit-eating grin on her face. Caroline rolled her eyes at her cousin Victoria.

"She's all right," Caroline said when the other adults rushed from the kitchen and various other parts of the house to see what was wrong. To Damon she said, "She did the same thing when Alaric walked through the door, so don't feel special."

Damon shook his head and hunched as his shoulders as he carried a casserole dish to the kitchen. As he strolled through the open doorway he saw Liz standing behind the stove stirring something in a large crock pot. Standing about five feet away was a woman he had never met before. She shared similar features with Liz except she was more strawberry blonde and had very prominent crow's feet around her eyes. However, those eyes didn't practice discretion as they boldly raked over Damon.

Naturally he grinned his devil may care grin as he sat the dish on the center island and approached Liz.

"Damon, I'm glad you could make it," the sheriff said and continued with her task. Damon thought it would be a little ridiculous to shake her hand as if they were strangers, so he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Liz," Damon said.

Liz blushed and instantly looked away and over to her sister.

"Ah, yeah, this is my sister Lisa. Lisa this is Damon Salvatore."

Not wanting the sheriff's sister to feel left out, Damon pecked her cheek.

Lisa blinked her eyes several times and tried to get her breathing under control. How in the world had her sister struck gold in this po-dunk town with knowing so many hunks? She would have to give some serious consideration about relocating to Mystic Falls from Quantico.

"It's nice to meet you," Lisa said after prying her tongue off the roof of her mouth. She patted her hair hoping there were no flyaways, and at the last second prayed there wasn't a lick of flour on her face because she was in the middle of making homemade biscuits.

"And forgive my little one…she easily gets attached to men since her father…" Lisa shut her trap. There was no need to divulge her crumpled marriage to Liz's friends.

"It's no problem. I'm used to that type of treatment from women," Damon winked.

_Yeah, because they're running for their lives, lady killer, _Liz thought but admonished herself. Damon had illustrated pretty good behavior and there hadn't been any reports about "animal killings" so he wasn't the monster he used to be. At least she hoped.

Out in the living room, Stefan parked his derriere on the sofa and watched Bonnie and Caroline exchange gifts.

Bonnie sat on the hardwood floor with her knees tucked under her with a big smile on her face as Caroline tore into the large gift bag.

Caroline's jaw fell to the floor as she pulled out a Kathy von Zeeland handbag. She shot up to her feet and did the running man.

"You got the bag I wanted!" and threw herself at Bonnie who caught her weight and was able to keep herself from toppling over. "Thank you, Bon!"

"You're welcome."

In his peripheral vision Stefan saw a shape drawing closer and closer and before long there was a small warm body pressing up against him. When Stefan hazarded a look down, his eyes crashed into a pair of earnest dark brown eyes on a small, porcelain cherub face.

"Help," he said and the two girls' who were speaking so fast to one another it sounded as if they were talking in tongues, spared him a look.

"You're all right, Stefan," Caroline said and went back to admiring her bag. "But she's fresh, I should warn you."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Victoria asked.

Stefan pointed at Bonnie. "That's my girlfriend. She's very possessive and will pull the head off your Barbie doll if she sees you talking to me."

"That's okay, I don't like Barbie."

Stefan leaped off the couch when the little girl began to rub his knee.

"Vicky go find your brother and beat him up or something," Caroline advised. However the little girl had her own agenda and that was to follow Stefan around no matter where he went.

Bonnie had absolutely no sympathy for him as he rushed out of the living room to get lost. Victoria was quick on his heels.

Caroline tapped her on the arm.

"Showing up with both Salvatore's as your date…do you need to go down to the courthouse to change your name?" she giggled.

Bonnie collected the tissue paper and balled it up and chucked it at Caroline's head. "Very funny. Originally it was only supposed to be me and Stefan, but Damon claimed he lost his keys so we gave him a lift."

"The only thing Damon loses is his mind." Pause. "Those are really beautiful earrings. Are they from Stefan?"

Bonnie's hand went up to twirl the stud around in her lobe. She shook her head. Caroline's eyes widened because it didn't take much calculating to figure out who gave them to her.

"He didn't," she whispered.

"He did," Bonnie countered.

"Whoa."

"You're telling me."

"I wonder what this all means?" Caroline placed a finger on her chin as if she were in deep thought. Thus this prompted Bonnie to get to her feet.

"It means nothing. It means…Merry Christmas you don't suck after all."

Caroline giggled and rose to her feet as well. "So…did you get him something?"

Bonnie nodded her head. "I was able to find a picture of Damon and Stefan when they were kids in the historical archives. I gave him a copy and I have one for Stefan but I'm not giving it to him until later."

"Bonnie, that is so sweet of you."

"Yeah, well it's long overdue for the two of them to remember that the rest of us will come and go, but they'll always have each other. Sometimes family is all you have."

Caroline licked her lips nervously because the next question she was going to ask could potentially set off Bonnie's inner detonator.

"Bon…are you at all worried that Damon might…?"

The doorbell picked that time to chime. Caroline huffed, missed the look of relief on Bonnie's face, and moved to open it. Standing on the porch was Matt.

"Mattie!" Caroline and Bonnie greeted the All-American athlete whose cheeks were ruddy from the cold.

"Ladies," he replied and handed over a shopping bag to Caroline and divested himself of his heavy down coat.

"Thank you for coming," Caroline said. "I'll take your coat. There are trays of hors d'oeuvers in the living room and dinner should be ready in another twenty minutes."

"All right and thanks for the invite," he said. When he turned around he hugged Bonnie. Caroline left the two of them alone to hang up Matt's jacket and to put his dish with the others in the kitchen.

After Matt' s arrival several more of their classmates showed up including Dana, the cheerleader who was compelled by a possessed Alaric when Klaus officially rolled into town.

Bonnie snuck off and found Stefan having a civil conversation with Alaric and yes Victoria was currently pulling on each of their pant leg trying to get their attention. Bonnie briefly stopped by the kitchen to ask if there was anything she could do to help, but the Forbes' women had everything on lock and only requested she open the door when the final guests arrived.

With nothing to do, Bonnie poured herself a cup of punch and stood in the hallway as she watched Matt attempt to set up Victor's race track.

"Look what we have here," Damon said over Bonnie's shoulder.

She craned her neck and saw mistletoe hanging over her head like a guillotine blade. When she brought her eyes to Damon, he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Bonnie snorted, and finished the punch in her cup.

"Of course you would try to take advantage of this," Bonnie pointed up at the poisonous flower which she always found the tradition of sharing a kiss under such a flower that could be lethal- preposterous.

But in its own way it made sense to at least share a kiss with a creature like a vampire under the mistletoe. It had a certain ominous appeal to it.

"Are you trying to weasel your way out of this, Bennett? I'd hate to have to draw attention to our predicament, but desperate times call for desperate measures and we are in a recession."

Bonnie shook her head. She knew he'd do it too because that was the kind of person Damon was. He wholeheartedly believed in finding an opponent's weakness and exploiting it over and over again.

"Fine," she sighed and faced him. "Close your eyes."

That was probably the only time Damon was obedient. He puckered up his lips in anticipation.

Bonnie leaned up on her toes and leaned closer. "Keep them closed."

Damon could feel her body heat surrounding him like a warm sweater. Little sparks of expectation began to zing over his body in warp speed. Just a little closer and he'd know if her lips were as soft as they looked.

Bonnie lightly placed her hands flat on his chest to steady herself. She flicked her eyes up at Damon's face one final time, parted her lips and then…

Shifted her trajectory at the last possible second and kissed his cheek.

Damon's eyes flew open and he frowned.

Her eyes were laughing when she pulled away.

"You got your kiss," Bonnie sign song.

"That was a kiss you give to your grandfather and you know it, Bennett. I want spit. I want tongue. I want teeth clashing," Damon checked those things off with his fingers.

"You must be smoking crack if you think I'm going to do any those things you've listed with my boyfriend your brother standing less than twenty feet away." Bonnie folded her arms over her chest. "Get real."

"What's a little danger attached to tradition? Okay since you kissed me, can I kiss you?"

"Out of the motherfreaking question. I might not have any lips left if I allowed that."

Damon chuckled. "What about a do over? Just…a gentle press of the lips. You can pretend we're five years old experimenting for the first time if that'll make you feel better."

"You are so incorrigible, Damon."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't exactly a compliment."

"At this point I'll take what I can get. So do we have a deal?"

Bonnie got momentarily distracted by all the activity going around. Two more of Caroline's smaller cousins had showed up so there were a total of four: five to eight year olds running around. Three deputies were in attendance as well as half the cheerleading squad and two teachers. Add in the three vampires and a witch, _what an interesting crowd_, Bonnie thought.

"Well, I guess pretending to be five years old isn't such a stretch for you," she teased to which Damon's eyes narrowed. "Okay, we have a deal."

Damon was tempted to dig around in his ear to extract any built-up earwax to make sure he heard Bonnie properly. She was willing to kiss him again on his terms? Was this the proof of holiday magic? Was Santa _real_ after all?

He licked his lips and placed his hands behind his back.

Bonnie leaned forward, threw an arm around his shoulder and…blew a large raspberry on his cheek, coating it with spittle.

"That's how five year olds kiss, Damon." She slapped him in the chest and walked away.

He could do nothing but shake his head and chuckle ruefully. Bonnie should think about becoming an attorney since she was so good at finding loopholes.

"All righty people, dinner is ready!" Caroline announced to the over-brimming crowd.

Everyone jostled for position at the formal dining room table. Of course there wasn't room for everyone to sit at the main table, but Caroline had masterfully designated who would sit where. Sitting at the head table with her was her mom, Aunt Lisa, Alaric, Dana, Matt, and Bonnie who was seated between the Salvatore siblings with Stefan to her right and Damon on her left.

It went without saying that Victoria voiced the loudest objection about being forced to sit at the dreaded children's table meaning she'd be separated from her new boyfriend Stefan.

Grace was said, and it became an assembly line of passing down the green beans, the gravy, the dressing, the salad, the turkey, the smoked salmon, the peas, the crescent rolls, the squash casserole.

And it was with some difficulty Caroline kept her grin off her face as she carved her turkey into edible pieces. Stefan and Bonnie were more than cozy together and were eating off one another's plates which had the others staring at them with dumbfounded astonishment. It was quite sickening to behold actually, the way they were in each others faces while they ate, and every now and then Caroline would flick her eyes over at Damon to catch his reaction. But he was a little preoccupied.

Dana was seated beside Damon who didn't mind focusing a majority of his attention on the brunette cheerleader.

Dinner was consumed with lively conversation and commentary. There were empty plates all around, expanding waistlines threatened to pop buttons, and many were finding it difficult to keep their eyes open.

Later madness broke out as the kids gorged themselves on slices of cake as large as an adult male's closed fist, which they chased with soda or punch.

Timothy, one of Caroline's young cousins had gotten the pair of high top sneakers he asked for and wanted to show everyone his new kicks by ramming his foot into their shins. Damon had been his first target.

It didn't hurt, but Damon folded himself until he was eye level with the boy and stared meaningfully into his eyes. Caroline moved with lightning quickness and pulled Timothy away.

"Don't you dare compel this little boy, Damon," she said lowly and through clenched teeth.

"I wasn't going to compel him, but merely suggest the roof is a good meeting spot for Santa."

"Right."

"Remind Tiny Tim what happens to kids when they miss with the Grinch."

"The Grinch? I was sure you were going to call yourself Grim Reaper."

Damon pointed in Stefan's direction. "That's the Grim Reaper."

Caroline snorted and folded her arms over her chest. She eyed Damon until he pressed her with a droll stare.

"What?" he barked. "You've been throwing me weird looks all night, Blondie. Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Now that you've mentioned it, yeah there is something I'd like to ask you. Do you have a thing for Bonnie?"

Well, no one could ever accuse Caroline of beating around the bush. Next to Bonnie she was the most straightforward person he knew.

Damon rolled his eyes and moved to another corner of the room. Caroline was right there behind him.

"No, I don't have a _thing _for Bonnie."

"You gave her an expensive pair of diamond earrings for Christmas. No guy in the twenty-first century would do that for a girl he's not dating and/or fu-," Caroline censored herself when one of her mom's deputies strolled by, but Damon got her drift.

"You all must keep forgetting that I'm not from this time period. And what's a pair of diamonds to a guy like me?" he placed his hands on his chest. "To me it's like the equivalent of you getting someone a sweater for Christmas."

Caroline would have believed him six months ago, but her spidey senses were tingling and they were telling her that Damon—who might not even be consciously aware of what he was doing—was setting himself up for disappointment and heartache again. Bonnie was a great girl and conceivably she'd have to travel the world over to encounter one guy who wouldn't instantly fall for her, but she wasn't like Katherine and she wasn't like Elena. And perhaps maybe that was part of the problem as well. Bonnie came with no ulterior motives, and the only change she was trying to make were positive changes within Stefan. Damon could very well misconstrue her kindness towards him as something more.

And Caroline felt it was her duty to tell it to him straight. She might not have done enough to protect her own relationship, but she would do everything in her power to protect Bonnie and Stefan's.

"Damon I just want you to think back to when you first arrived in town looking to maim, kill, and destroy. Remember that guy, the personification of an asshole, pretty much turned everything he touched into shit, and then somewhere along the way he began to change, but he was making those changes for one particular person? Bonnie doesn't want anything from you, and maybe that's the appeal. I don't know. I'm not you—thank God. But I beg you don't do this to yourself again."

"Okay one) I have no idea what you're talking about and two) trust me when I say that I don't want anything from Bonnie. I know she's happy with Stefan."

Caroline sighed in relief.

"But,"

And just like that her relief was popped like a helium balloon.

"I'm a realist. When Klaus is destroyed and the compulsion vanishes, who do you _really_ think Stefan is going to run back to?" Damon pinched her cheek and flashed a smile. "When that day happens…Bonnie is going to need all the support she can find. That's all I'm presenting to her. Support."

"You swear?" Caroline wanted incontrovertible proof.

"Pinky swear," with that Damon walked away.

Across the room Alaric was speaking with Bonnie. Sitting on the arm of the couch, Bonnie withdrew an envelope and a small gift box from her purse and handed the items over to him.

"It's for Elena."

Alaric nodded his head. "I'll make sure she gets it. I'm heading up to the lake house once I'm finished here."

Bonnie chomped down on the corner of her lip. "I'm glad that she has you, Rick. This entire year has been so screwed up…none of what happened should have happened."

"Including you and Stefan?"

The question gave her pause and her eyes narrowed infinitesimally. If Elijah hadn't betrayed them for the opportunity to be reunited with his family—which he should have known Klaus was gonna play him in the end—and finished Klaus off like they planned then the whole series of events that transpired afterward wouldn't have happened.

Which meant she and Stefan wouldn't be together.

That made her eye twitch and her heart hurt. She was in too deep to just drop everything and walk away like it never happened. Not without a fight. Not without kicking and screaming.

"Alaric…do you think me being with Stefan is wrong?"

The middle-age man, who should have done something else with his life other than being an educator slash vampire hunter, searched Bonnie's face. She was one of the strongest girls he knew, but the answer to her question could break her to prepubescent proportions.

"It's not my place to say…"

Bonnie reached over and gently laid her hand on top of his. "I want to know what you think. You're kind of the closest thing I have to a father figure, too."

Alaric snorted good-naturedly. Well, this wasn't something he had anticipated on happening when he first rolled into town—becoming a makeshift guardian and god-father to a bunch of high school kids with parental issues. But if someone had to step up to the plate, why not him?

"Then I won't lie to you, Bonnie. I was _very_ concerned when I found out you were seeing Stefan, mainly because he was so unhinged and unpredictable, and above-all dangerous. I didn't want you getting mixed up in his ties to Klaus and what he may have compelled him to do. Yet…I have noticed the way he is with you and it's far different from how he used to be with Elena. He respects you, he loves you almost intensely," Alaric had to scratch his temple on that one. "But I know you possess a toughness that Elena lacks, and you've proven you can take care of yourself."

Bonnie nodded. That was by far the longest speech Alaric had ever given her.

"But you still don't agree with our relationship?"

"I've made it a point to insert my opinion when I feel a situation might take a turn towards disaster. Right now…Stefan hasn't given any signs that he should be locked away from society, and the only reason I can attribute for why that is, is because of his relationship with you."

It was at that point Bonnie gave Alaric the theory she and Caroline came up with about Klaus' compulsion only having the effect of turning off Stefan's feelings for Elena, but not eradicating his ability to feel for others. Sure it made him a little apathetic, but for whatever reason he developed deep feelings for Bonnie and it was nothing short of a miracle.

Alaric mulled over what Bonnie shared with him. It sounded feasible but he wasn't exactly sold. There had to have been something there from the very beginning, a flicker of attraction Stefan felt towards Bonnie put repressed because of his love for Elena. Otherwise why pursue her?

"I wish things could have happened so differently than how they came about," she whispered and stared down at her fingers. "I'm not the type of girl who would go after her best friend's boyfriend, and I regret my part in not being honest with Elena from the start, and I wish I could go back and fix it. But, Rick, I won't apologize for loving Stefan."

"And you shouldn't have to."

"Nevertheless, I know I need to apologize to Elena."

Alaric held up the card and the gift box. "This is the first step," he said.

"Do you think it's enough of a good start?"

Alaric shrugged his shoulders. "Elena is fragile and might be overdoing it on the, me-against-the- world bit, but she's trying."

"I really do feel bad…"

"And I'll let her know. You two have done everything significant and insignificant together and it would be a shame if you couldn't work past this."

"Yeah." She grew quiet for a minute before asking, "And Jeremy?"

"Now I am worried about him. He's been seeing and talking to Anna more frequently. It's not healthy. Elena and I have been working overtime to get him to leave her alone, but he feels she's the only thing he has left."

Bonnie was overwhelmed with grief. Out of everyone she never meant to hurt, Jeremy was on the top of her list. She had a gift for him too but she didn't think it would be wise to give it to him.

"This is all my fault," she lamented.

"You can't take the blame for this, Bonnie. There's no one to blame but Niklaus."

"I'm so tired of hearing that name."

"You and me both."

"Have you been able to get anymore information out of Rebekah about the Original family?" she asked, ready for a subject change.

"She's dropped a few crumbs here and there but not enough to tell the entire story. Elena did find out that the history of the Original family is hidden in a cave somewhere so she's been trying to grease Rebekah for the location, but hey I've placed her on my last resort list."

"She's like the female version of Klaus just perkier."

Alaric chuckled.

Suddenly a pair of cold lips pressed against Bonnie's neck. In response she smiled, craned her head backwards and found herself staring into a pair of bluish-gray eyes.

Alaric took that as his cue to go.

"Are you ready to blow this joint?" Stefan asked and covered Bonnie's mouth with his own.

"Not yet," she replied after pulling away. "I promised the girls I'd play a few rounds of Just Dance 3. And you know how I am about my promises."

Stefan's bottom lip poked out which Bonnie tucked it back in only she tucked it into her own mouth. The world around them dissolved into background noise and it was like they were the only two people in the room. This is how it always was with them, intense passion, intense heat, always ready to show how much they loved one another.

"Okay," Bonnie said breathlessly.

Stefan examined her flushed face, her heavy-lidded eyes, and grinned. With just a kiss or two he'd have her right where he wanted her. Call it his power of persuasion or a sly manipulation, Bonnie, when hot, was at her most susceptible.

"Bon-_nie,_" one nameless cheerleader screeched her name. "We're ready. We have everything set up."

Bonnie moaned and kissed Stefan one more time. As she rose from the couch and took half a step away, he caught her by the wrist and pulled her back. Their lips met like magnets.

From the crowd there was a mixture of awes mingled in with ewws.

The apples of her cheeks were flooded with her potent blood and for half a millisecond the red veins under his eyes undulated. Bonnie's eyes widened with alarm but Stefan had reined in his bloodlust and tempered it. He patted her bottom and sent her off to join the other girls who were waiting impatiently in front of the plasma television.

"It always seems like I'm dancing for that boy," Bonnie said to Caroline. Stefan had made himself comfortable on the closest sofa to the television where he had an unobstructed view of Bonnie.

"Stop acting like you feel put out," Caroline rolled her eyes and grabbed her controller. She spun around to face the other cheerleaders. "Are we ready to do this?"

"YEAH!" the cheerleaders cheered.

"Cue the music," Caroline barked with her captain bravado.

The girls danced to a litany of songs all of them fast paced and up tempo. But his personal favorite had to be "Work" by Ciara featuring Missy Elliott because there was a _lot_ of gyrating and booty jiggling. And because Bonnie was the shortest out of the bunch she was placed up front during all the routines which afforded Stefan the opportunity to undress her with his eyes over and over and over again. He was more than ready to end the night. His blood was pumping, his body was zinging. He needed a release but most importantly he just needed Bonnie!

So while she was busy saying her goodbyes, Stefan collected their coats, and the takeout bag.

He found Damon sitting on the back porch nursing a bottle of beer chatting it up with Aunt Lisa.

"Are we leaving?" Damon asked.

"Yes, we are but just Bonnie and I. Find another way home, loser." To Lisa who looked shocked by the way Stefan spoke to Damon, he said. "Be careful with this one; he bites."

Rushing back inside, Stefan managed to slip Bonnie's coat on while she was in the midst of carrying on a conversation with two cheerleaders he didn't even try to remember their names. Once she was buttoned up, he grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of the door. It took them another ten minutes to reach the car because people just kept coming out of nowhere, thanking them for coming, wishing them a safe ride home, stalling them from the inevitable.

Bonnie snapped on her seat belt and reached for Stefan's hand.

"I have one more gift for you when we get home."

He grinned. He liked that she referred to the boardinghouse as home, _her _home.

"Will I like it?"

"I hope you do."

"Then I guess I better get us home as fast and safely as I can."

* * *

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

A fire was roaring in the pit located on the west end of the Salvatore property. Almost all of the snow that had fallen overnight melted so patches of grass could be seen. It was no warmer than thirty degrees outside, but the chill of the air wouldn't matter. Stefan was impervious to getting hot and cold; Bonnie was a walking furnace.

He waited for her as she gathered what she needed from the house. Five minutes passed and he heard the sounds of her ankle boots crunching the hard ground beneath. He rose from the stone bench sans coat.

Bonnie walked towards him with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She had ditched her coat because she wanted to feel the frosty air against her skin. She was potentially being stupid because not too long ago she had a horrible cold. She could see her breath as it flew out of her nostrils. For all intents and purposes she should have been shivering but by maintaining eye contact with Stefan it kept her warm enough.

When he was in reaching distance, Bonnie wrapped her arms around him, engulfing him in her heat. They snuggled together and folded neatly to take a seat on the bench. Stefan felt something hard drop on his lap.

It was a gift box. Wordlessly he picked it up and opened it.

In a gilded frame was a picture of him and Damon when they were kids. His eyes snapped up to Bonnie and he could discern her look of apprehension. She was expecting him to rage and yell, but he was simply frozen and felt himself tumbling back through history like this picture was a time capsule of those not-so-innocent days of his childhood where he idolized his older brother like every little brother did.

Damon had been Superman to Stefan and then one day it seemed out of the blue their relationship was changed irrevocably for the worst.

"Do you…do you like it?" Bonnie asked quietly.

Stefan said nothing, only stared at the black and white photo. He was being assaulted with so many phantom emotions it was taking him a moment to figure out the proper way to respond to such a thoughtful gift.

If anything this made him love Bonnie more. She gave him back something he thought he lost forever. His love for Damon.

And he only knew of one way to show his appreciation. He leaned over and kissed her.

_Okay, this is a good sign. He doesn't hate me for this, _was Bonnie's inner thought.

Stefan blindly put the picture aside and wrapped his hands around Bonnie's waist gathering her as close as possible, but she wiggled out of reach, establishing a neutral zone between them.

"Don't show me with your actions alone. Tell me, do you like your gift, Stefan?"

He sighed. "No one has ever done anything so sweet or thoughtful for me, Bonnie. Yes, I like it. And I love you for it."

Bonnie tilted her head and cracked a relieved smile.

"How'd you find it? I was sure Giuseppe had all of our belongings and images burned in effigy."

"It took hours and hours of digging through the historical archives. When you shared with me the story of growing up in the 1800's it gave me an idea. Maybe something was left behind from your childhood since your family is one of the founding families. And lo and behold I found that picture."

"Is this your underhanded way of trying to rebuild the gap between me and Damon?"

Bonnie shrugged a shoulder. "I hate to say this but…all of us humans could die tomorrow of some plague but you and Damon would still be around. All you two have is each other. Growing up as an only child sucked for the most part because when I needed someone around to talk to there was no one there. I had my friends, but they didn't live with me so they couldn't really commiserate with my situation—not like the way a sibling could. You and Damon are blood, Stefan and I need you to remember that."

The only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the fire. Why were chicks always on a quest to fix things? He'd never know, but somewhere in his heart, Stefan knew Bonnie was right.

"Can I kiss you now?"

She giggled. "This would make for the first time you-,"

Her sentence was cut off as Stefan pressed urgent lips against hers and rose to his feet pulling Bonnie along with him. He began to shuffle her backwards towards the gazebo which had been converted into a sunroom. It didn't have walls but slats which could be opened and closed. Inside was a day bed.

Stefan picked her up and laid Bonnie on the bed never breaking the kiss. However, Bonnie quickly rose to her knees and reached for Stefan's tie. She untied it slowly and then flicked the buttons open one by one on his shirt, pushing the material away. While she was undressing him painfully slow, Stefan made quick work of unzipping her dress revealing the sheer teddy underneath.

Once her skin was exposed he covered her with kisses which led to licks. Bonnie braced a hand on his chest and flipped him on his back. She straddled him and began singing.

"Sweet love, sweet love trapped in your love. I've opened up and unsure I can trust. My heart and I were buried in dust. Free me, free us. You're all I need when I'm holding you tight. If you walk away I will suffer tonight."

Bonnie tossed her long hair to one side, bent over Stefan and began to kiss his neck while stretching her body along his. He spread himself on the bed as if he were on the cross and allowed the heat of her body to work its magic. His shaft lengthened with each press of her lips against his skin. If his heart still had a beat it would have been banging against his ribcage demanding to be set free.

"I found a man I can trust and boy, I believe in us." She sat up and pulled Stefan with her. This allowed her to wrap her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist lotus style. She stopped singing.

"Make love to me."

Stefan sank one hand in her thick tresses, the other held her tightly around the waist as his lips moved in for the kill, drinking her like finely aged wine. He got the tongue, he got the spit, their teeth clashed, her heart raced, his dick jumped impatiently beneath the swell of her heat. In two seconds flat her lingerie was nothing more than tattered scraps. Stefan rolled them over until Bonnie was beneath him and then, using his knee to brace her legs apart, he sheathed himself inside, going as deep as he could.

Bonnie arched off the bed, eyes shut closed but then with a will she didn't think she could possess at a time like this, forced her eyes open to stare into his.

They shared the same breath, moved at the same time, kissed until her lips felt they might blister and crack. Within minutes their skin was glazed with a light sheen of sweat which turned into vapor that rose into the air. Their hands remained interlocked as Stefan plowed into her not like a man possessed or starved but like a man loving his woman, like a hunter and his mate.

She was getting close. Bonnie felt the pressure rising and it wouldn't be long before she reached the famed mountain top where she could stare in awe prior to tumbling back down to earth.

The rotation of his hips, the power of his thrusts, the way he breathed into her ear before giving her graphic descriptions of what he was doing to her, drove Bonnie over the edge.

She screamed his name and the fire in the pit ignited to inferno proportions. Stefan felt the heat of it lick his back which was astounding because they were some eight feet away from the pit.

Stefan joined her soon after.

That was just the warm up.

His fingers pushed sweat soaked strands of her hair off her face, and dropped kisses to her neck and jaw.

"Merry Christmas, Bonnie."

"M-merry ooh, Merry C-Christmas, Stefan."

He chuckled and started her engine again.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Chapter end.

**A/N: Why can't we see more scenes like this on the show? I'll never understand why the focus has to be so heavily on the supernatural, because when the show first began and KW was more involved, it was supposed to be about vampires living in the real world. Hopefully things can get back to basis, but I doubt it. Nevertheless, thanks for reading lovelies. **


	18. After the Mistletoe

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**

_The smell of candle wax was heavy in the air to cover up the pungent scent of age, mold, and mildew. It was an old house. A hundred years it stood on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. And bless his mother's heart she tried to get the city to name it a historical landmark because it had been built shortly after the Civil War; the developers and all those who had money felt the structure lacked a certain appeal._

_What they meant by that was: it was ugly and a dump._

_It was two stories, and at the time it had been painted white like the other traditional Colonials, but instead of having shingles for a roof, the roof was tin, and it wouldn't be until the late fifties that his ancestors added inside plumbing. _

_Nevertheless, what his house lacked in aesthetic charm, he made up for it by the interior. But there was one such room on the property that no one, and he meant absolutely no one could ever enter._

_This was the room where he did his best work. Where he created his master pieces and master plans. His father had imbedded it into his head that a good man always had a plan. That might have been the only piece of advice he decided to take from his father, because the rest of his ideology was simply irrelevant to him. _

"_Colorblind" by Counting Crows was playing softly on repeat in the background. Carefully he arranged the rose petals in the white gift box around the ring he was going to give to Bonnie._

_Sitting to the side were yards of red velvet ribbon. His mother had taught him from a very young age how to tie the perfect bow. And his skills in home economics were honed for he had been forced to take Etiquette class._

_The other boys in the neighborhood had teased him mercilessly about learning how to set a table, use silverware, and how to address himself, and as mortified as he should have been, he actually loved the class. One) because it taught him manners, and two) because of all the girls._

_He being the only male, the other girls would want to partner with him. It had been wonderful being looked on as strong and like a protector, something all girls wanted in a companion even if they claimed they wanted danger. _

_And of course there was one girl in particular out of the ten he saw every other Saturday in his youth which stood out to him._

_Samantha._

_Samantha was the personification of a good girl. She always adjusted her dress over her knees when she sat down. When you conversed with her she gave you her undivided attention. She never chewed gum, or talked with her mouth full, and when she laughed she would hide it behind a gloved hand._

_It took him no time to fall in love with her. And there was much about Bonnie that reminded him of Samantha. Physically they were very different—Samantha was olive-toned with auburn hair and large brown eyes. But it was their mannerisms, their lady-like demeanor which highlighted their similarities._

_To show his love for Samantha he wrote her poems and letters expressing his feelings. To his misfortune they didn't attend the same school. So on occasion he'd stop by her house to inquire after her well-being and health. And he knew that when the weather was good, she'd walk home from school, so he'd peddle his bike to her side of town, and hide in the bushes to make sure she made it home in one piece. There were predators out there. Even back then. But they were more abundant now. Hopefully to Samantha's parents they'd think he was a respectable young man, the type of young man who would make an excellent husband when they were old enough to marry._

_But…one day Samantha didn't show up for their Saturday Etiquette class, and an announcement was made that her father's job transferred him, and they were moving away._

_His heart was broken and he never got over the pain of losing Samantha before things could officially get started between them. But he felt the excuse his instructor had given him was a lie to cover up the truth. Her parents didn't like him and so they moved away, taking Samantha from him because maybe he had been _too _aggressive with his feelings._

_He learned a very valuable lesson. He would have to take his time and woo a woman the right way._

_So that's what he was doing with Bonnie. For four years he studied her; learned her likes and dislikes, her passions and her fears. He learned so much about her just by being silent and observing her from the sidelines, but there was still a great deal about Bonnie that remained a mystery to him. He could sprout off all her favorite foods, movies, and music, but he couldn't say for certain if she was pleased with the attention he decided to bestow upon her. _

_And because he didn't want to put all of his eggs in one basket, he made sure that enough time passed in between leaving his tokens of affection to avoid her going into panic and anxiety mode. _

_He wanted Bonnie to want him. Wanted her curiosity about him to have her seeking out his face in the crowd. Wanted her to be touched with the innocent thoughtfulness of his gifts in comparison to what the Salvatore boy tried to bribe her with._

_So he was putting together his Christmas gift for her now._

_A muffled noise garnered his attention._

_He frowned, waited a moment and when no other sound was forthcoming, he went back to placing the last finishing touches on his gift._

_She was going to love it. From the nicely wrapped bow, to the individually plucked blood red rose petals he had imported from Bali, to the actual treasure inside, she was going to DIE when she saw it._

_The muffled noise grew louder this time and there was definite banging coming from the cage._

_He sighed, rose from his worker's table, and ripped the tarp off the five by six cage._

"_I told you to be quiet," he said to the woman huddled inside, gagged, and bleeding. She stared up at him imploringly with tear stained eyes. "I told you I'd let you out once I was finished." _

_The woman tried to form a coherent sentence behind the duct tape that was over her mouth. _

_He sighed again and threw the tarp back on and looked around his room. All four walls were covered with various shots of Bonnie. It was his own Bonnie Bennett collage. _

_He tapped the top of the cage causing the woman to shriek. He'd finish her, get rid of any evidence, and drop the gift off at Bonnie's. But first he'd have to find his hack saw. _

* * *

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

"Go in there and wake up Damon and invite him to play hockey."

Stefan's face was petulant and Bonnie knew he was two seconds from whining. "Why am I being forced to do this? Why don't you ask him?"

"It would mean more if the invite came from you. And you promised me you'd start trying to repair the damage to your relationship. Now, go in there and ask him_ nicely_."

Stefan huffed, paraded out of his room, and an eye blink later stood outside of Damon's door. He tapped on it with his bent index finger and listened for movement. He could hear muffled voices and the rustling of bed linens. Stefan felt his patience running out so he pushed the door open. He didn't really care what state of dress or lack thereof Damon or his _guest _was in, he'd seen it all before—unwillingly of course.

Damon had just tumbled out of bed and stepped into his discarded jeans. The other occupant in his bed popped her head out of the covers and smiled sheepishly at Stefan.

"Hi, Stefan."

"Dana…" Stefan hitched an eyebrow in his brother's direction who merely shrugged a shoulder. "Nice to see you. I need to have a moment with my brother if that's all right with you."

Dana wrapped one of the sheets around her as best she could and tip-toed her way to the bathroom. In there she wouldn't be giving the brothers much privacy because there was no door to Damon's bathroom. But once the showerhead started going, Stefan felt it was time to get this over with.

"A bunch of us are getting together to play hockey. You wanna join us?"

Damon cleared his throat and paused in picking his shirt up off the floor to toss it in the hamper. He turned speculative and suspicious cyan eyes to Stefan. He smirked.

"Hockey?" he deadpanned. "Since when do you play hockey?"

Bracing his hands on his hips, a tick began to beat in Stefan's jaw. "Since like twenty minutes ago. The kids of his town and their damn traditions. The day after Christmas is spent down on Wickery Lake playing ice hockey. I've never tried it before and I'm always up for an adventure. What about you? Want to be my right wing?"

"First of all if I agree to come we are not going to act like sidekicks or a dynamic duo."

Stefan chortled.

"And when you say 'kids' are you talking members of the Scooby-Doo gang or actual kids?"

"Teenagers, college dudes, you know any hot male over the age of eighteen. It's been mandated by the female population. But I see you have company so I'm gonna jet."

"Not so fast, Stefan," Damon said when his little brother attempted to pivot on his feet to head for the exit. "Count me in."

"Wait. What?"

"You heard me deaf boy. Count me in."

Stefan blinked. "All right. Be ready to head out in fifteen."

Once Stefan made it back to his room, Bonnie was slipping her snow boots on. It had snowed again last night.

"Is he coming?"

"Yes."

"See, that wasn't so hard was it?" she grinned.

"I think I rather have the cat give me a pedicure with her teeth than to ask Damon to do something where fun is implied."

Bonnie rose from the bed and pecked Stefan on the lips. "If you think this is bad, it's only going to get a lot worst, and I do believe those were words you spoke to me when this thing between us started."

"You reap what you sow," he said listlessly.

"Um-hmm…I'll see you downstairs."

Downstairs Bonnie threw her coat on at the same time she saw Dana sneak her way out. Her eyes widened and not two seconds later she heard the brothers grumbling back and forth with one another.

The brothers stepped down the last step at the same time Dana finally made her escape.

"Should I have offered her breakfast?" Bonnie quipped and grabbed her cell phone.

"That wouldn't have been necessary," Damon breezed past her and headed straight for the wet bar to pour his first drink of the day. Bonnie was about to make a comment but her cell vibrated in her hand.

"Let's go," she said to the boys and marched out the front door.

Caroline's Fiesta was idling next to the curb and Bonnie picked up her footsteps heading towards her friend's vehicle.

"Hey, where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"Oh, did I forget to mention I'm riding with Caroline? We have a stop to make before heading over to the game. Why don't you two ride together and we'll see you there. And your skates are already in the car. Love you," she blew a kiss at Stefan, raked disapproving eyes over Damon and hopped into the passenger seat of the Fiesta.

"She set us up," the Salvatore siblings muttered at the same time.

"I'm driving," Stefan announced and headed towards his car.

Damon didn't care either way and was ready to head back inside and finish his drink. He'd need a little buzz going if he was going to be in the midst of a bunch of high schoolers. Is this really what his life boiled down to? He was starting to feel like his life was nothing more than poorly scripted episodes of _Laguna Beach_, supernatural style.

Stefan cranked the engine and burned rubber on the road.

The brothers were silent like a graveyard about a third of the way into the trip. And the only thing playing in Stefan's mind was Bonnie's speech from last night about how important it was to rebuild bridges and remember Damon was his blood, and that they should fix what had been damaged so long ago between them. Where in the world was he supposed to start? And did he even want to put in the effort especially when intuition was telling him Damon was going to be a dick about it?

"So Dana?" Stefan finally opened up a dialogue, one he didn't mind hearing the details of. "Did not see that one coming."

Damon smirked and chuckled lowly to himself but for a different reason altogether.

"Why, because I'm more of a soccer mom kind of guy?" he asked.

Stefan shrugged. Damon, he really had no standards.

"So did you have fun last night?"

"She gave me a ride home," he shrugged a leather-clad shoulder.

"So you pimped yourself out so you wouldn't have to give her gas money?"

Damon snapped his eyes to Stefan. "You make it sound so dirty, Stefan," he replied slyly.

The younger Salvatore chuckled and flew through a light before it turned red.

Damon continued. "And it wasn't like she didn't enjoy it."

"Yeah, did you?"

Damon made a motion with his hand as if it were a seesaw. "I might have dozed off when she was on top of me."

"Sucks for you playa-playa."

"I'm not saying it was bad," Damon was quick to defend and then realized how dumb that sounded. "Okay what am I saying? I lost interest halfway through and compelled her to cum."

Stefan howled with unsympathetic laughter. "Was she _that_ bad?"

"Yes! She kind of just laid there and made all these…I don't know...frog noises. It was disturbing."

Stefan was laughing so much he was practically driving with his eyes closed.

"I should have taken Lisa up on her offer, but I didn't because—hell she's the Sheriff's sister, and if I screwed her over that gives Liz probable cause to use my ass for target practice. And she's already made two attempts on my life this year—there will be no third times a charm. And you know desperate housewives are tigers in the bedroom; that would have been fun."

Stefan nodded. He had fiddled with a few disgruntled wives in his hey day and well, a Hoover vacuum had nothing on them.

"Who knows," Stefan began, "with your mack daddy skills or whatever it is you possess, you might get another shot."

"You're still the eternal optimist, Stefan."

"It's my name don't wear it out."

When they had arrived at the lake several cars were parked haphazardly around the small grassy area. Stefan slid his sedan in a spot where any mid-sized car shouldn't have been able to fit. The skills of a vampire—got to love them.

Both vampires were glad that it never took longer than ten minutes to get anywhere in Mystic Falls, otherwise their conversation might have drifted over to mushy territory and neither one of them was mature enough for that.

Bonnie had played them, but for now they'd let her getaway with it. But it felt good to talk about something that brothers typically talked to each other about: bad sex.

Stefan spotted Bonnie amongst the lone group of girls who decided to brave the frosty elements and support their favorite player. In the crowd he spotted Matt, several of his football buddies, and a sleuth of others which he figured them to be prior Mystic Falls High athletes who were home for Christmas break.

Stefan sidled up next to Bonnie who was assembling two cartons of coffee and several boxes filled with warm pastries and breakfast sandwiches.

She stopped her task long enough to spin around and face him. He wore a stern expression on his face but his eyes gave him away. She wasn't in as much trouble as he was trying to make her out to be.

"You're not mad at me for ditching you with Damon, so you can go ahead and change your face right now."

He growled at her—playfully.

"I think I underestimated you and your quest to see a viable change happen," he remarked and picked up a Styrofoam cup and filled it with coffee.

"You should know that witches always come with tricks up their sleeves."

"So I'm learning," he raked her with his eyes and Bonnie felt herself flush. "When is this thing set to start?"

Caroline intercepted their conversation. "As soon as Jesse arrives."

And his ears must have been ringing because Jesse, who would be the referee for the event pulled up in his late model Toyota truck with bed head, no coat, and his hockey jersey thrown over his shoulder.

Jesse, in his typical flair, reared his head back and gave out a great big redneck cry. "Let's git 'er done!"

The crowd hooted and hollered and people started disseminating into groups. The vampires stood off to the sides and allowed the veterans to work out the particulars.

Once all the players had assembled and the guys were broken into teams, the game began.

Damon and Stefan were on a team with Matt, a guy name Colt, and some other dude called Lucas.

Bonnie and Caroline huddled together using a fallen tree as a bench, sipped their coffee and cheered on their guys.

The minute Damon stepped on the ice in the skates that had been pre-selected for him, and he didn't lose his balance and fall straight on his ass, he wanted to do something else. To him sports were dumb in general, but hockey? He didn't see the point or the appeal. To him, hockey was a game designed around a bunch of toothless guys beating the crap out of each other with sticks all to get a small black disc into a net. Dumb.

But five minutes into the game, flying across the ice as "humanly" fast as possible, checking guys left and right, throwing elbows, and hitting that little black puck with as much "human" strength as he could right between the legs of the goalie….freaking exhilarating!

He had just found his calling or at the very least a very good way to work out his aggression and unleash his inner animal without being reamed for it.

He and Stefan but more importantly _he _had the crowd sitting on the edge of their makeshift seats. Girls were screaming his name, cheering him on it sounded like one big massive orgy. And he didn't look too shabby on the ice either in his all black ensemble.

Caroline watched the two brothers as they skated around the ice, dodging blows, and moving with the agility of acrobats. They made impossible shots. Skated side by side when they played defense, and took several of the opposing team members out…for good. But the crowd simply ate up their performance as if they were watching an actual professional match.

But she was mostly impressed with the way the Salvatore brothers communicated with each other without having to actually speak. Without either of them knowing it, they had invented their own language which they could easily decipher and code.

Caroline bumped her knee with Bonnie's to get her attention. She nodded her head in Damon's direction before saying, "I knew he moonlighted as a figure skater."

* * *

**Gilbert Lake House**

Elena laid belly down on her bed with the ear buds to her iPod plugged in blocking out the noise coming from downstairs. All morning Alaric and Jeremy had been engaged in an Xbox battle, which thankfully left her out of it. Like all mornings for the last week since they arrived at their parents' secluded lake house, she got up just as the sun peaked over the horizon, prepared breakfast, lifted weights, and then…tried to find ways to pass the time.

This was the quiet life she had been bemoaning to get back to. Unfortunately for her, she didn't think it would be so dang…dull.

Not saying she missed the action of always running for her life, but she missed being in the midst of activity. Right now she knew that everyone was down at Wickery Lake for the annual hockey game. That had been one of her most favorite after Christmas events to attend. Elena could skate like the rest of them, but she never actually signed up to play hockey. She enjoyed sitting on the sidelines in her new pea coat, a gift from her parents, being admired and envied by the influx of girls who came from all parts of the city hoping to rope in a date for the winter formal.

She wouldn't be partaking in any of that this year, and really she didn't care. That wasn't her life anymore.

Growing tired of looking at the images on the glossy pages of the latest gossip magazine, Elena threw it on the floor and forced her eyes over to the desk.

Resting on the very edge was the gift from Bonnie delivered by Alaric when he arrived in the middle of the night.

Her first instinct was to throw it right into the trash, or more appropriately into the fire, but then Alaric had to give her some stupid speech about forgiveness and friendship, and it made her feel uncomfortable. And to put the cherry on top, Alaric had made her promise that she would at least consider opening Bonnie's gifts before throwing them away.

She had been avoiding those two items like the plague all day. And now she had no excuse left for why she couldn't open them.

Sighing, Elena rose from the bed, padded over to the desk and eyed both items. Which to start with first, the letter or the box?

Always go for the gift. Reading the letter would be like hearing Bonnie's voice, and she wasn't prepared for that right now.

Elena pulled the lilac string loose, opened the lid, and pulled out a locket. She popped the locket open, and the box fell out of her hands and to the floor.

"Mom…Dad…"

* * *

**Wickery Lake**

"He has a hot ass. I have got to hit that."

Bonnie heard the comment, knew the voice that made the comment, and tried for her part to ignore the comment. But she was getting damned impatient—that was for sure.

Man-eater extraordinaire Tiki (insert last name) had been eyeing her boyfriend since she arrived on her broom. Tiki knew for damn sure that Stefan was her man, but that didn't stop her from making irritating comments about him _or _from implying that by the end of the night she'd know if he was a boxers or briefs kind of guy.

When the tri—nice young lady pulled out her cell and tried to snap a picture of Stefan's ass as he skated past, that was the last straw for Bonnie.

She focused all of her attention on Tiki's phone allowing the noise to slip away until everything was muffled and then voom, the cell phone short circuited spewing sparks, before smoking and ultimately blowing up. Tiki had thrown it away before it exploded, much to Bonnie's chagrin, but she rested back on the tree branch satisfied with the results.

Caroline who saw the whole thing could only shake her head and chuckle.

She never liked that girl anyways.

* * *

**Gilbert Lake House**

Tears fell in quick succession from Elena's eyes, clumping her eyelashes together. Somewhere, somehow, Bonnie had found an old picture of Elena with her parents.

She hadn't seen the picture in years, had forgotten about its existence, and now it was in her possession once again. She was sitting on her father's lap with him to her right and her mom to her left. Elena remembered that day well because that's when she found out she was going to be a big sister.

The prospect of having a little brother or sister to take care of and be responsible for scared her, but she was excited because none of her other friends were big brothers or sisters, so she'd be the first.

Elena covered her mouth and slowly slid to the floor sobbing because she was being inundated with so many memories from her childhood. She missed her parents. Missed the normal life she used to have. Missed the sleepovers that were held almost weekly between her, Bonnie, and Caroline. Missed sneaking out of the house to go party in the woods without fear of being fed on by a vampire or torn to pieces by a werewolf. Missed being irresponsible.

She just missed it all.

Blindly, Elena reached for the letter and opened it.

She spent the rest of the afternoon re-reading and dissecting Bonnie's words of apology. And every time she finished it, she felt another piece of ice being chipped away from her heart.

* * *

**Wickery Lake**

Damon skated back and forth like a panther prowling a cage. If he made his penalty shot, the game would be over and he would be the victor. The goalie tried to mimic his movement but couldn't exactly pull off the same grace.

He was building up the anticipation. Damon already saw the shot in his head. Already knew what the end result of the game would be. He quickly looked over all the faces that were trained on him, but they paused on one longer than the rest. It wasn't a deliberate pause, but one long enough that she knew he was indeed doing this to be seen as a good guy in her eyes.

Damon abruptly stopped and without warning, reared back the stick, made contact with the puck and watched as it sailed through the legs of the goalie and ricochet around the net.

There was an explosion of cheers and boos from those who were cheering for the opposing team, but Damon didn't care.

Several members of his team skated back on the ice, arms raised in exultation. They tried to hug him, which he was having none of that, merely skated out of the way, but did allow high-fives.

Stefan approached Damon and held out a hand. They stared at one another understandingly for a moment before clasping hands. They weren't big on giving each other hugs either.

Bonnie waited on the very edge of the ice with her hands stuffed in her pockets. After congratulating his brother, Stefan swung around and skated over to her. He wrapped one arm around her waist, plucked her off the ground, and held her close to his chest.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him soundly on the lips.

"Congratulations, you did a good job."

"That's it? That's all you have to say to me?" he asked.

"What else did you want to hear?" her voice had a bit of an edge to it.

"How bout I'm proud you didn't confuse Damon's head with the puck and tried to take it off."

Bonnie grinned and kissed him again. "I am glad you didn't. That would have been hard to explain."

The sound of blades screeching against the ice garnered the couple's attention. Bonnie looked over and saw Damon in all his Superman bravado. His chest was puffed out to Texas.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the actual _savior_ of the game supposed to get a victory kiss from the prettiest girl in the crowd?"

"Under any normal circumstances you would be correct," Bonnie said. "So here you go." She blew Damon a kiss and re-wrapped her arms around Stefan who was trying to keep his face neutral.

_Figures, _Damon thought. "Witchy…the next time you try to plan a coup d'etat, don't."

"By heaven, whatever do you mean?" Bonnie asked in a false southern falsetto.

Damon slid just a tenth of a millimeter closer to Bonnie. Not close enough for them to touch considering she was still in Stefan's arms, but close enough to where he could smell the citrus scent of her perfume.

"Roping me with Stefan hoping to install some brother bonding time. That's what I'm talking about."

"Oh," Bonnie said coyly. "This morning was nothing more than a coincidence, darling." She refocused her attention on Stefan. "The winners are getting a home-cooked meal by me and Miss Caroline. Now let me down. Us women folk have shopping to attend to. And I want the both of you cleaned up and ready to sit down to eat an All-American meal no later than six o'clock. Okay, gentlemen?"

"All right," they muttered in unison.

Bonnie wiggled away the minute Stefan let her go and off she disappeared.

Being abandoned by the second time in the same day, Stefan pulled out his keys and looked at Damon.

"Ready to go?"

Damon snatched the black jersey off and threw it towards a girl who was sitting on a nearby tree. She caught it and screamed excitedly.

"Ready as ever."

And while Bonnie was busy with the Salvatore clan leaving Caroline to clean up, she felt an ominous presence looming behind her.

Ready to defend herself, Caroline spun around, saw it was only Tyler, and growled.

"What are you doing here?" she asked brusquely and went back to her task.

"I came to talk to you. I know you'd be here and that this would be my only opportunity."

Caroline snorted and kept her back to him. Realizing that Caroline wasn't going to make this easy on him, Tyler walked around until he faced her yet again. She was still beautiful and blond, and she was always at her hottest when she was pissed. Tyler felt his palms itching—that's how badly he wanted to touch her.

She cut her eyes at him and was tempted to dump out the rest of the scalding hot coffee on his feet; his face would have been better but the potential of getting splashed herself was too high and she didn't want to ruin her new coat.

Caroline didn't like being caught off guard, nor the fact that Tyler looked smoking hot with his new haircut and fitted clothes. This irritated her greatly.

"Say what you have to say and then get lost," Caroline ordered.

Tyler laughed. That was one of the things he missed about Caroline—her feistiness although when things were good between them he found it a bit rude and annoying.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened between us. I never meant for any of this to happen, not to hurt you, and especially to take your warnings about Rebekah for granted. I was just caught up on all the freedom from no longer having to phase during the full moon bullshit that I didn't stop to realize who had my back from the very beginning."

Caroline folded her arms over chest but was listening attentively. "Continue."

Tyler grinned. "These last few weeks have been…they've been hell. I miss you, Caroline. And I know saying sorry and being sorry are two totally different things, but I'm acknowledging that I fucked up royally."

She studied Tyler for a second. If she were in the mood to be deeply honest with herself she could admit to missing him as well. Unfortunately that came with the territory after a breakup. But she didn't like repeating herself and Tyler was going to have to come a lot harder than he was if he thought he'd have a snowball's chance in hell of getting her back.

"So you've finally figured out that the grass isn't greener on the other side?"

Tyler made some vague motion with his head. "Rebekah is cool in her own way. She's just not for me."

"Hmm. You know my Uncle Carmine has this saying…if the grass on the other side looks greener, water your own grass. That's what you should have done from the very beginning, Tyler, but you didn't." She paused for a moment to gather her breath. "Is Klaus still your end all, be all?"

The hybrid rolled his eyes and his stance immediately shifted from repentant to defensive.

"You know I can help that," he finally said.

Caroline nodded her head. "Then I guess we're done. Thank you for apologizing and acknowledging your mistake. But as long as you're willing to put Klaus' needs first…we can't be together. He's hurt my friends, and I cannot allow him in my life in any capacity. Whether directly or indirectly."

"Caroline…"

Caroline merely flashed a smile and walked away.

Bonnie looked over the console when Caroline sat behind the wheel of her car. She had seen her talking to Tyler but she couldn't hear what was being said. From Caroline's pinched expression it wasn't anything she'd hope to hear.

"You okay?" Bonnie asked.

Caroline vigorously nodded her head and started the engine. She survived being shot repeatedly in the head by a demented albeit hot werewolf, being disowned by her own mother, torture by her own father, she could survive Tyler being a mind-controlled douche.

"Aren't I always?" she replied breezily.

IAt exactly six o'clock the guys were called down from their rooms to dinner. Bonnie behaving as hostess and donned in a cute black number, approached both Salvatore men.

"Your dinner awaits, gentlemen, follow me." She escorted them to the formal dining room.

Several of their teammates had already assembled themselves around the room. They greeted Damon and Stefan with eager slaps of approval.

_Great, more strangers in my pad, _was Damon's thought.

The brothers sat at each end of the long lacquered table, a lit with candles. Caroline came sweeping out of the kitchen carrying a platter filled with…

"Hamburgers? Your drawn out speech about an All-American meal was about hamburgers?" Damon was bemused as he looked at Bonnie.

"Well, aren't we picky," Caroline sniffed. "I'll have you know that each and every single one of these burgers was made from scratch using Miss Sheila's secret recipe."

"And in that case, you won't mind if I be excused," Damon slid his chair back from the table ready to bolt. For all he knew the special sauce might be a toxic blend of vervain and werewolf dung.

But unfortunately Damon felt something, an invisible pressure force him back into his seat and his chair shot forward until his elbows could rest on the table top. He narrowed his eyes at Bonnie, who merely smiled back at him and disappeared in the kitchen.

When she reemerged she was armed with two platters. One held a mountain of shoestring French fries, the other contained perfectly arranged sliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and pickles.

Their condiments had been placed into small silver syrup boats. Damon had to grudgingly admit to being impressed with how they transformed a simple American meal into a thing of elegance.

Bonnie stood beside Stefan's chair and began to dress his plate. She motioned with her head and her eyes for Caroline to do the same for Damon, but of course Caroline had a major objection to that.

_Just do it, Caroline, _was plainly read in Bonnie's eyes. Caroline sighed, snatched up Damon's plate and without asking him what he preferred on his burger, began to slap it together.

"Hey," he barked. "No pickles they give me gas."

Bonnie observed them for a moment, shook her head and asked Stefan what he wanted.

"You're spoiling me, you know that right?" he said once Bonnie sat his plate down which was laden with coleslaw, French fries, a thick burger with pickles, onions, tomato, and lots of ketchup and mustard.

"That was the intent. You play nice with Damon, and I play _real _nice with you."

"Ooh, then I guess I better make that list of things I want to do with my big brother."

The only thing Bonnie could do was shake her head and smile.

* * *

"Alaric…?"

The slumbering teacher jolted awake and sat up on the couch. He rubbed his eyes so they could better focus on the silhouette hovering in the doorway.

"Elena?" he cleared the frog out of his throat.

The girl in question stepped into the living room. The evidence of her crying had long since been cleaned away but Alaric could tell by her red nose that she had been.

What now?

Elena crossed her arms over her abdomen feeling anxious and vulnerable. She took in a deep breath and released it.

"I'm ready to go home."

* * *

The following morning Damon found himself standing under the threshold to Stefan's room. The last time he had been in this spot Bonnie was fresh out of the shower, wet hair hanging down to her exposed shoulders while she paraded around in next to nothing seemingly unaware of whom she was talking to.

Now Bonnie was fully dressed and was zipping up a suitcase.

Sheila eyed him from her perch on the bed, opened her mouth, and showed him her tiny fangs.

He grinned back at the animal. It jumped down from the bed, strolled past him as if writing off his existence and disappeared down the steps.

"Damon?" Bonnie said as she did another revolution around the room to make sure she wasn't leaving anything pertinent behind.

"Leaving us so soon?" he asked.

"My dad is finally back in town. I figured I better show my face at home before he slaps it on the back of a milk carton."

Damon made a face. "You're eighteen why not just declare your independence and move out? Make it official."

"And move in with you and Stefan? Ah let me think about that." She paused for a minute. "No."

"You might as well. You're here all the time anyways."

"I stay over a few nights out of the week. That's the way I like it and the way it's going to stay. Besides, as much as I love Stefan he can work my nerves, and I'm sure its vise versa."

"I have no problem with you staying…that cat on the other hand…I don't believe in reincarnation but sometimes I really do feel like that _is _your grandmother."

"Sheila barely notices you," Bonnie argued.

"Yeah, well she tried to maul me the other day."

"Really? Is that because you were spying on me when I was doing yoga?"

Damon hunched his shoulders. "I was there just in the event you broke something. I didn't know you were that flexible," he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Yeah, so if you need help with your butterfly stretch or my personal favorite, the downward facing dog, I'm available."

Bonnie picked up her suitcase. "I'll keep that in mind. It's a good thing I suffer from short-term memory loss."

When she stood before him waiting for him to step aside, Damon held up a hand.

"Yesterday…do you really think one day is going to change a hundred and forty-five years of bad blood between me and Stefan?"

Bonnie sighed. "No. But one day can irrevocably change a life. I have faith and I suggest you go find some."

There merely stared silently at one another until Damon stepped out of her way and followed her downstairs. He opened the front door for her.

"Does Stefan know you're leaving?"

"Come on, Sheila." The cat obediently walked over to Bonnie and awaited more instructions. Bonnie put her in her crate. Bonnie looked up at Damon. "Yeah. He knows. Give him a kiss for me when he gets back from running his errand. See you, Damon."

"Later."

Approximately eleven minutes later Bonnie pulled up into the driveway of her home. Her father had emailed her that he was expected back that afternoon and of course gave her a perfunctory apology for missing yet another Christmas with her, and told her to extend his thanks to the Forbes' for taking her in.

Bonnie didn't mind the apology so much but she drew the line at extending non-heartfelt thanks in lieu of her father doing it himself. If he felt indebted to the Forbes' which he should have, he would have to put on his big boy drawers and tell them himself.

Bonnie climbed out of the car before she allowed herself to be taken over with anger and parental angst. Grabbing her suitcase and Sheila's carrier, Bonnie walked the short distance to the porch, unlocked the door, and sat down her luggage in the foyer. She opened the carrier so Sheila could climb out, stretch and explore her new surroundings. At the boardinghouse she had found several places she liked to nap. Her territory had downsized considerably and Bonnie was hoping it would be a smooth transition for the cat.

Sheila could get moody when she wanted to.

While Sheila was busy rubbing herself up against the furniture, Bonnie moved her luggage out of the way, and then headed towards the kitchen.

She inspected the refrigerator. She'd definitely have to make a list and go shopping.

"Gross," she frowned when she pulled out a take out container from the Grill. It had to have been in there for over three weeks. Walking around the center island, Bonnie removed two garbage bags and began cleaning out the fridge.

Once one bag was filled, she took it outside to jump it in the large trash can. She frowned and held her nose the whole time while doing this. Done with that, she headed back inside but a large white box with a red velvet bow caught her attention.

Bonnie tentatively picked up the box. Sheila's meow scared her and she almost dropped it. Her heart began beating just a little faster, her breath coming out just a little quicker from her nostrils. It could be a gift from anyone; didn't mean it was a gift from the same person who left her the bear, the text message, or the incriminating photo.

But in the event if _was_ from the same person, she should probably try to handle it as little as possible so that if it needed to be dusted for prints, hers wouldn't be found on it.

Bonnie shook her head. She was taking this to Law & Order: Criminal Intent proportions.

Nevertheless it never hurt to be safe, and the person had gotten too close to her house once again, which translated into getting too close to _her_.

Bonnie licked her lips and pulled one end of the ribbon loose. When it was unraveled it fluttered to the ground and Sheila instantly grabbed for it.

Taking the lid off, Bonnie sighed in relief. It was just a ring. A very ornate ring with blue stones—sapphires—possibly. The ring wasn't really her style, but it had been displayed in the middle of real blood red rose petals quite beautifully.

Bonnie reached inside to extract the ring and that's when she found out it was still attached to the finger of the original owner.

_Oh. Someone sent me a severed finger. This was someone's finger. A FINGER!_

She reacted the way any logical person would. She dropped the finger and the box, tripped over her feet, landed on her knee in the kitchen, almost stepped on Sheila as she ran towards the front door to hop in her car only to realize she left her keys in the living room.

Shaking behind the wheel with an angry and upset Sheila pacing outside of her car door, Bonnie braced her head on the steering wheel. She was going to have to go back in there to get her purse and her cell phone.

So many thoughts raced through her head. Why was this happening? Who was behind this? What poor woman lost her finger?

Thankfully her dad pulled in behind her. Bonnie shot out of the car and nearly tackled him she was so relieved she wouldn't have to go back in there alone.

Thomas Bennett felt his daughter shaking and instantly a father's worst nightmare began to play out in his mind.

"Baby what's wrong? You're shaking and crying."

"Dad…" was all Bonnie could say before dissolving into tears again.

What had turn out to be one of her happiest Christmases in a long time, was slowly becoming Nightmare on Elm Street.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Going through this story again, I really realize how much I loved writing it the first time. Thank you guys for tuning in. Love you!**


	19. Wanted

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

The Bennett Residence was surrounded like a crime scene out of a movie. Several police cruisers were parked along the street, red and blue lights flashing, blocking off traffic. No one could get in and no one could get out. German shepherds canvassed the backyard, noses to the ground trying to find any minute trace of an alien scent. Radios squawked with commands.

Bonnie sat on the couch next to her father, leg jumping nervously as she gnawed her thumbnail off.

After getting her bearings together, Bonnie recanted the story to her father of finding the box next to the back door and what was inside. Thomas Bennett's face turned grim as he marched toward the back of his property and saw the overturned box and scattered rose petals that resembled drops of blood against the snow.

Using his foot, he kicked the box aside and show 'nuff there was a finger cut off from a Caucasian woman who liked Ruby Red fingernail polish.

His gut lurched but he sucked in a large gulp of air, squared his shoulders and walked through the open back door into the kitchen and calmly phoned the cops.

Seven minutes later the place was surrounded.

Sheriff Forbes paced back and forth speaking with her deputies and threw out question after question toward Bonnie and her father. Neither one of them could answer anything definitively other than they had no clue who could be responsible for such a heinous act.

Did Bonnie know anyone who had a grudge against her? Sure, plenty. Were any of them capable of hurting another human being to get to her? Sure, why not? Did she know who the finger _might_ belong to? She had no freaking clue.

When no one was looking Bonnie sent a text to Stefan.

Needless to say he drove like a bat out of hell to get to her house and compelled officers left from right to make it through the front door.

This of course wasn't how she wanted to introduce her father to Stefan. Their introduction had been chilly at best.

She was going to hear it later.

Damon showed up perhaps five minutes after Stefan's abrupt arrival. Liz had called him thinking that the attack might be supernatural in nature and she could use his expertise. Why lie, no one could speak psycho quite the way Damon could.

They hovered in the background.

While the police folk handled their end of the investigation, the brothers huddled together, bounced around ideas on what to do with the stalker once he was found. They had agreed it would be something that would make the writers and directors of the _Saw _movie series proud.

Bonnie couldn't look at Stefan and the wild fury that was rapt on his face or she'd burst out into tears. Until seeing him she couldn't admit to how scared she was or she'd break down. She had to stay focused and remember the facts as they happened. Otherwise she might leave out something vitality important to tell the detective working her case.

Damon for his part looked detached but the constant tick she saw in his jaw let her know that he was just as upset about this whole thing. Maybe a step down from Stefan's anger, but he was pissed all the same.

The coroner entered the living room next and it was beginning to feel crowded.

"Dr. Beaulieu, what have you found?" Liz asked.

Dr. Beaulieu had been the lone coroner of Mystic Falls since Bonnie was little. He was as pale as a ghost, was by far the shortest man in the room, and looked as if he were just days away from meeting his maker. But his voice was strong, clear, and crisp as he spoke.

"Well, whoever the finger belonged to…she was still alive when it was severed. I'm not an anthropologist so I can't give you the exact age of the victim, but she may be anywhere in her mid to late thirties. And she was a smoker. The skin was yellowed around the nail and it was her middle finger that was cut."

Liz looked grim.

"We're going to take it back to the lab and fingerprint it. Hopefully the Vic may be in the database."

"Okay, keep me posted."

An hour into the investigation, the lead detective walked into the living room. His dirty boots left nice prints on the polished wood.

"The dogs haven't picked up any leading scent so more than likely the finger is the only thing the perp left behind. And whoever left it was good about not leaving any prints. The box was clean."

Liz nodded her head. "Thanks, Graham."

Curtis Graham was his name, Bonnie remembered as he turned to face her. He was an older man probably flirting with 50—if he wasn't already, and kind of resembled Henry VIII expect he didn't look nine months pregnant. He had a dusting of reddish-gold hair, piggy blue eyes, a small, oddly shaped mouth, and very red cheeks. If you slapped a white beard on him he could pass for Santa.

"Miss Bennett are you sure you don't have a disgruntled ex out there that might have went off his meds and decided to leave you that…gift?"

Yeah, she did, but Jeremy had been away and he would never do something like cut off a woman's finger. Would he?

Internally she shuddered.

However, there _was_ someone out there who had been sending her gifts and up until now they had been innocent not malicious aside from the picture of her and Stefan that was sent to Elena's cell phone.

Bonnie and Damon's eyes met.

Stefan saw this and felt his anger spike. They knew something.

Bonnie glanced at Liz before giving Detective Graham her undivided attention.

"I do have an ex-boyfriend but he's out of town. Has been for the last week. And as badly as our relationship ended, he wouldn't do something like this."

No, because Jeremy's approach to getting back at her had been to stake Stefan. What a failure.

Some disgusting noise, it may have been intended to be a snort came from the back of the detective's mouth.

"As well as we all claim to know people, we'd be surprise by the double lives people live behind closed doors."

So very true, Bonnie concurred.

"I need his name."

"Really?" Bonnie didn't want to give up Jeremy's name because the last thing he needed from everyone in town was to be treated like a demented creeper.

"Yes," Detective Graham answered dryly.

"Jeremy Gilbert," she muttered and looked down at her nails. Her father offered his moral support by rubbing her clasped hands briefly—very briefly.

Detective Graham wrote down his name. "You, sir? Any disgruntled exes? Co-workers with an axe to grind?"

Thomas Bennett shook his head. "Sorry but I haven't been serious with anyone in…years, and I mostly work independently."

The detective nodded his head but it wasn't in a sympathetic manner.

"Do you think we should move out for a few days?" Mr. Bennett asked, pointedly ignoring the detective and looking at Liz.

"Perhaps just as a precaution," she answered. "Not until we learn more like the identity of whom the finger belongs to."

Minutes maybe hours passed and the coroner returned.

"Dr. Beaulieu, what have you found?"

"Lucky for us we got a hit. I was able to get an ID of the victim when we ran the print through the database. The victim was arrested for a DUI in 2002," Dr. Beaulieu pulled out an eight by eleven print out of the woman. He handed the paper over to Liz who glossed over whatever pertinent information it contained.

Sheriff Forbes took a step closer to the opposite side of the coffee table and slid the paper over to Bonnie.

"Here name is Vanessa Pinkston. Have you either of you seen this woman before?"

Bonnie looked at the image of the smiling, blond haired woman. She had no connection to this woman. To the right of her picture which was obviously a photo of her driver's license was her personal information. Bonnie didn't read all of that because a part of her wanted to remain as detached as humanly possible. She was already feeling guilty that someone hurt this woman on account of her and she had no idea why or if Vanessa was still alive.

But as she studied her eyes a memory began to come back to her.

"Oh, my God," she said and the entire room went silent. Bonnie's eyes flew up to meet Sheriff Forbes. "Last week when I was driving down Main, this car came flying out of nowhere to beat the red light. I had to brake hard or the woman would have plowed into me." Bonnie laughed by it was a dry laugh. "She blew her horn and flipped me off like it was my fault she almost hit me. This is her. This is the woman who almost hit me."

So that meant whoever was watching her, had been following her, saw what happened and decided to take justice into his own hands on her behalf.

A million goose bumps rose all over Bonnie's flesh.

"He sent me the finger she flipped me off with."

You could hear an ant fart.

The detective's ears perked up. "He? You said 'he'? Do you know who...?"

His question was interrupted because Damon moved beyond the crowd, took Bonnie by the arm and pulled her up from the couch. "I need to have a moment with her."

Detective Graham was the first to raise a loud objection. "Excuse me but who are you?"

Liz answered for Damon. "He's a special consultant on the case," was all she said.

Bonnie, Damon, and Stefan journeyed upstairs to stand in the hallway.

"This…gift is from him isn't it?" Damon guessed.

"More than likely."

"What the fuck is going on?" Stefan demanded his eyes going back and forth between Bonnie and Damon who seemed to be speaking their own language and purposely leaving him out of it. "Do you know who's behind this?"

Bonnie inhaled and looked at Stefan. "No, I don't know. This isn't the first time that whoever has been contacting me, has contacted me."

Stefan's eyebrows flew into his hairline. The expression on his face would have been hilarious if it weren't for the circumstances. And then…his faced puckered as if he ate a lemon.

"How many times?"

Bonnie cleared her throat. "Two other times. Three if you count the picture that was sent to Elena's phone."

Stefan thought back and he remembered about the bear. "I know someone gave you a bear, but what was the other time this person contacted you?"

"When we were in Seychelles. I got a text message from an unknown number saying 'I miss you'."

Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you informed Damon about this instead of me, when I'm your boyfriend. It's my job to protect you, not his," and he was oh so tempted to throw his closed fist straight into Damon's chest.

In her mind, Bonnie saw the planks in the Stefan/Damon bridge crack and fall.

"Don't get mad at him. It was _my _decision to leave you out of it because I knew what your reaction would have been. You would have started killing left from right no questions asked. You wouldn't have been objective about this."

"You're damn straight I wouldn't have been objective about it. But there wouldn't have been any need since the two of you have a history of conspiring together."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bonnie brushed past both brothers and entered her bedroom. They followed.

"The 60's Dance ring any bells?"

Bonnie snorted. "Please, and how many times did the two of you plan to use my powers to your advantage, and notified me afterwards?"

Damon just loved it when people talked about him like he wasn't standing there.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Bonnie," he said her name as if she suffered with a learning disability, "you were wrong in keeping this from me and going to Damon with this. _We_ are supposed to be a team."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

They grew quiet for a minute and then when he was calm enough Stefan addressed Damon. "Did you find out anything?"

"No. The text message was sent from a disposable phone more than likely purchased with cash so there wouldn't be a paper trail."

"Perfect," Stefan muttered with his hands braced on his hips. He pinned Bonnie with a stony glare. "That's it you're moving into the boardinghouse. Case closed."

"What?! No I'm not. I'm not running."

For the first time in a long time Damon and Stefan were thinking on the same wavelength. "Don't be stupid, Bonnie," Damon said. "He got this close to your house. What's to stop him from getting inside and doing to you what he did to that chick? And stalkers _always_ kill the person they're stalking."

Bonnie for her part looked absolutely bewildered.

"The two of you are not going to take over my life and start making my decisions for me like you did with Elena, who couldn't do anything more than stand around with her mouth open. I can take care of myself, you know I can. And I have more than just magic to do so."

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked.

Bonnie said nothing but merely walked into the hallway closet, rummaged around a little and came back out with a box of shells and a 12-gauge shotgun.

The brothers' jaws collectively dropped to the floor and began to pick up dust.

"Seriously," Stefan turned incredulous eyes on Damon. "When did I start dating Rambo?"

"At the same time you showed up on her doorstep one dark and gloomy night and decided to drink her blood, dumb ass," Damon replied.

Bonnie handled the gun like a pro and Damon felt himself fall just a little deeper in the crevice she inadvertently created.

"I haven't been shooting since I was fifteen. Daddy taught me how because believe it or not, he's from the old school where if you wanted to eat you had to go out and kill it."

"See Bon, we're not so different after all," Damon flashed his canines.

This was all a bit too much for Stefan to process. So he began at the beginning. Some psycho, who had been stalking his girlfriend for however long, cut off the finger of the woman who nearly plowed into her and flipped her off. Bonnie and Damon had formed some secret alliance where she entrusted information to Damon but left him out of the loop because of his impulse control problems. And now his girlfriend was revealing yet another telling part of her personality; she was a trained marksman.

Was she friends with Optimus Prime, too?

He felt as useless as a paperweight in an air tight room.

Bonnie tucked the shotgun under her right arm pit. "Look, I'm willing to stay _some _nights at the boardinghouse, but I'm not packing up and leaving my home altogether. You can forget that."

"Bonnie," Stefan said through clenched teeth. She really wasn't getting how difficult it was for him to suppress the urge to just toss her over his shoulder and disappear. But he knew Bonnie wasn't the type to run from a fight. It wasn't in her DNA to throw in the towel. Her martyr complex was as big as Elena's and just as irritating.

"Don't make her too mad, Stefan. She might bust a cap in yo ass," Damon chuckled. He sobered. "Tell us what we can do to make sure you're safe at all times?" Damon interjected.

Bonnie made a face of disbelief that Damon wasn't trying to insert his machismo into this and strong arm her like Stefan was so intent on doing.

"Trust me. That's all I need you two to do." Pause. "I need to brush up my skills. Are you two up for target practice?"

Damon and Stefan blinked at her and then blinked towards each other. They shrugged.

"Good," Bonnie swung on her feet to head back out into the hallway. "Dad, where's the assault rifle?"

The brothers exclaimed in unison, "Assault rifle?"

* * *

Bonnie was not a violent person by nature. Sure somewhere deep in her blood she had the ability to be vicious, heartless, and ruthless, but she held on tightly to her morals, her ethics, and her overall love for humanity to make sure she never tipped the scales in that direction. She would defend humanity to her last dying breath; but there came a certain freedom in knowing she had power to save lives.

The recoil from shooting the rifle made her feel panicky for a tenth of a second until she was certain that she hit her target. Damon and Stefan moved much too fast for her human eyes to keep up to use as targets but were instructed to run past the targets hanging from trees.

Wood exploded, gun powder filtered through the air. Several times Damon had flashbacks from his brief tenure with the Confederate Army. He had hated war then, liked it even less now unless of course he started the war. Did he think it was a necessary evil to suppress the real evil, using violence to create peace? He was a hung jury on the subject.

Quite a few times Stefan had a close call with a bullet. Bonnie was good—a little too good with that rifle. And he was well aware of what century he lived in where women could more than defend themselves; it was still a hard adjustment for him to see someone delicate like Bonnie handle a firearm like a trained Marine.

When she finally ran out of ammo, the brothers collected all the paper targets.

Damon held one up. Bonnie had hit the center of the target. "I'm going to hang this up in my bedroom to remind myself to stay on your good side."

Bonnie laughed and ejected the empty magazine. "I see you're beginning to find wisdom in your old age."

"Mrs. Smith," Stefan dead panned, "are there any more dark secrets I should know about?"

"Now where would be the fun if I divulged the inner workings of my head in one sitting?" Bonnie smiled.

"Whether the person stalking you is supernatural or not…they should definitely look into getting life insurance," Damon quipped.

"You think the person behind this is supernatural?" Stefan was curious.

Damon shrugged his shoulder. All their enemies had either been vampires, witches, or werewolves.

"Why not?"

"I had an interesting thought while I was attempting to assassinate you both," said Bonnie. "I can think of someone who has a penchant for chopping off fingers. I also know of someone who hashed elaborate plans all to tear a particular vampire and raven-haired beauty apart."

"Katherine," the brothers answered. When they stopped to think about it, it made sense.

"Seems like her obsession with you knows no bounds," the elder Salvatore directed at his brother.

Stefan's face was impassive. "So you think that Katherine compelled someone to fake stalk Bonnie all to break us up? How would she even know we're together? We haven't seen nor heard from her in weeks."

"Doesn't matter, she always uses spies," Damon reminded his brother. "Like I said before, when Katherine wants you to know what's she's up to she'll make her move. Besides, if she followed her previous MO, she'd know we'd figure out it's her behind it. This approach is much more subtle. So unlike her she'd count on us overlooking her as a suspect."

"If she is behind this," Bonnie countered. "I'm not saying this is Katherine's work a hundred percent because her new obsession is ending Klaus. She wouldn't deviate from that, not even if she found out Stefan moved on without her yet again."

Stefan looked at Bonnie. "She followed me to Chicago. She could have been following me all summer. The one thing I learned about Katherine is she's the queen of multi-tasking."

Silence followed that revelation. As much as Bonnie would like to pin all of this on Katherine, something about the situation nagged her as if she personally knew who was behind it. Bonnie could have talked to this person at one time, dealt with him or her on a daily basis without realizing she was holding court with a psycho. Usually in situations like this, the person hid in plain sight.

However, she knew she wasn't in the best position to rule anything out.

"All right. So we need to find her."

"I'll find her," Damon volunteered. "Next to protecting the people of this town, that's my second occupation."

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked.

A corner of his lips lifted in a cocky grin. "Worried about me, Bon?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Not usually but its Katherine. Just be careful."

The brothers exchanged a loaded look before Damon vanished from the woods. Alone, Stefan took the rifle out of Bonnie's hands and slung it on his back. They left the shells were they fell.

Bonnie's phone buzzed. She retrieved it from her back pocket and her eyes bugged when she saw who had sent her a text message.

_Hey, I got your letter and gift. Thank you, Bonnie. I'm ready for that talk whenever you are. E._

Bonnie reread the message several times while experiencing a gauntlet of emotions that ranged from excitement to dread to anxiety.

Stefan studied the litany of emotions that cross his sweetheart's face. "Is it good news?" he asked.

Bonnie cleared the tightness from her throat before answering. "I hope so. Elena wants to talk."

However, that talk might have be postponed for a few days.

A dubious expression crossed Stefan's face. He guessed he should feel _something _about the possibility of Elena and Bonnie patching up their friendship, but he just wasn't in the mood to be accommodating. Someone was after his girl, wanted her for reasons that weren't honorable or altruistic. He had to protect her, keep her sheltered but knew it would be impossible because of how headstrong Bonnie was. She didn't like playing the damsel in distress, had been manufactured to protect the damsel in distress, and she wouldn't take kindly to being treated as one.

When they reached the car, Bonnie didn't climb in right away. "I know what you're thinking."

"What?" he initiated this poker face.

"You're trying to think of ways to keep me locked away in the tallest tower of the Salvatore castle. I'm sorry but I'm not a punk, Stefan, and I refuse to let this person intimidate me into altering my life more than it already has. We do this, we do this together. No going behind my back. Are we on the same page?"

He scowled and his eyes narrowed. Bonnie chuckled. That was as close to an agreement she was going to get out of him this afternoon.

Stefan cranked the engine but then let the car idle. "I'm sure you think most of the time I'm bullshitting with you, Bonnie, but if anything were to happen to you…I very well might lose my mind."

"And that doesn't scare you? How intense your emotions are?"

"Yes," he answered plainly. "Every morning when I wake up and you're not beside me, I get nervous like something might have happened and I wasn't there to stop it. It seems irrational and it probably is, but that's just the way I feel inside. I can't help it. I can't suppress it. It's who I am."

Bonnie wasn't sure that's who he was but a byproduct of his rewiring. She woke up much the same way but her fear was vastly different from Stefan's. Her fear was that the compulsion, the binds that held the old Stefan chained to a wall might have broken and he'd be reduced to one big ball of shame and remorse. Her greatest fear was never in loving him, but having his love for her vanish.

Damon was right. She should be careful in how far she let Stefan in.

Bonnie reached over and interlocked their fingers. "As long as we have each other, everything will be fine."

* * *

Bonnie and Stefan decided to eat out. It was Rodeo Night at Mystic Grill. The owner had rented out a mechanical bull and the guy and doll who held on the longest would win a free meal at their next visit.

They had dressed for the occasion in plaid shirts, tight jeans, and cowboy boots.

Bonnie, to Stefan's dismay, had only shown mild interest in riding the bull so the two of them hit the pool tables.

Sneaking a kiss before digging the balls out of the pockets of the billiards table, Stefan looked around at all the gyrating bodies. So many women had flocked to the Grill like it was a Mecca or something. So many delicious choices walked by in clingy jeans, miniskirts, boots, mid-drifts he felt like a kid in a candy store.

Constantly he ran his tongue over his teeth before wrapping it around his slightly protruding fangs. Before they left the boardinghouse he drank two bags of blood to quell his hunger, but it only raged to life the second they entered the eatery and he was smacked in the face with the various types of blood.

Bonnie had been too distracted with the crowd and finding a table to notice how uncomfortable he was. The heat wasn't on, but that didn't stop a cold sweat from popping out on his skin. His mouth felt dry, his throat was on fire, and his stomach was cramping.

Add this to what he learned this afternoon, and Stefan was amazed he hadn't fallen into bloodlust acting off his most base instincts.

Bonnie hadn't fallen in love with a monster or maybe she did, Stefan reminded himself repeatedly as he tried to distract himself by staring at the way Bonnie leaned over the table to make a shot. He tried to block out all the heart beats, the sound of blood rushing through human veins by focusing on the annoying drone of the emcee for the night and the country music blaring from the speakers.

None of it helped. He needed to go out into the cold air to rein in his hunger.

Stefan sat his pool stick aside. "I need to go get some air. I'm feeling a little hot," he said to Bonnie.

She motioned that she was going to put her stick down. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, you stay. Don't want anyone to take our table," he kissed her quickly and zoomed away.

Once outside the cool air felt good and refreshing and it helped lessen the incessant pounding in his gums.

Stefan went through the relaxation technique that Lexi had taught him. He concentrated on moving the unnecessary air through his empty lungs, made all thought of drinking blood evaporate from his mind.

It was working. He was getting control of his impulses.

(The italicized parts are from the stalkers POV.)

_Bonnie was seated on the edge of the pool table trying her best not to look out of place and forlorn for having been abandoned by her boyfriend. But he was glad that the boy had left. It wasn't smart to leave her alone, not for a millisecond. Although she was way across the room from him, he had an unobstructed view of her._

_She looked lovely and downright sinful in those tight jeans and the flannel shirt she had tied into a mid- drift. He was equally turned on and repulsed by her outfit choice because it showed too much skin in his estimation, but it afforded him the opportunity to gaze and admire her physique and the fact she took excellent care of herself._

_He knew that the police had been at her house all morning doing their investigation. He had stood outside with the rest of the nosy spectators. The people of this town were really dumb—that was something he always knew—but his theory had been proven as he stood and listened to their speculations about what could have happened._

_Naturally his good mood soured when the Salvatore brats showed up as if they were superheroes. They hadn't been turned away, which he found odd and sloppy police work. No one who wasn't a part of the investigation should have been given entry to the Bennett residence, but the brothers had exchanged some clever words and were ushered inside as if they had a right to be there._

_He didn't stay long after they showed up to see what happened._

_He had hoped that Bonnie would emerge from the house looking pleased for the attention his gift garnered for her, but she never did._

_She didn't even say thank you for riding the planet of one more self-centered bitch. Yeah, he saw that Pinkston woman run the red light and almost hit Bonnie. _

_So he followed her to her home. She was distracted with running her big mouth on her Bluetooth complaining about the poor drivers of this town, and that's where he removed the crow bar from under the passenger seat and it was lights out for her._

_She wanted to use her middle finger to express herself, well he would remove that finger and give it to Bonnie._

_He realized he had been standing in one spot too long and had been gazing at Bonnie for longer than a second so he began to circle the room. With each revolution he got just a little closer to her. _

_Now he could walk right behind her and unless he reached out and touched her, she wouldn't know he was there._

Five minutes may have passed. It was time to head back in, but then, Stefan heard the pitter patter of heels against the concrete sidewalk and stilled.

A woman stood on the other end of the building. She hadn't noticed him since she was in the middle of firing up a cigarette. She pulled on the stick and released a billow of grayish-white smoke through her mouth and nostrils.

Stefan licked his lips as he eyed her jugular vein.

_One taste, _that's all he'd need and he could get the monkey off his back.

He saddled up to the woman but made enough noise so she'd hear him coming.

"Hey," he said in his most non-threatening voice.

The woman gasped anyways but when she gave him a good once-over her look of surprise turned into one of invitation. She held out her pack of cigarettes.

"Smoke?" she asked.

"I don't smoke."

"Good for you. I've been trying to quit since I started."

Stefan said nothing as he drew just a little closer to her. Flattery usually worked in getting him what he wanted without creating a scene or a mess.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"You can call me Sal."

The woman switched her cigarette to her left hand and stretched out her right for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Sal, my name's Alicia."

"Alicia," he shook her hand but didn't drop it. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Worry flashed on her face but she banked it. She was in a public place although no one else was outside except for her and the handsome stranger. She was safe?

"Go ahead."

"I just love women with long graceful necks, like yours."

"Umm…thanks. I think." Alicia then attempted to pull her hand away only to realize his grip was like a vice. When she flashed incredulous eyes up to Stefan's she felt herself become ensnared into a trap.

"Let's find some place a little more private so I can admire your neck up close and personal."

"Okay."

_He put one foot in front of the other, his stride purposeful, reached out a hand to brush against the ends of her long mahogany hair, when out the corner of his eye he saw Stefan reenter the establishment._

_Only a finger brushed a single strand and he heard Bonnie gasp. He didn't chance looking back, only kept walking to merge back into the crowd._

Stefan had to get the taste of her blood out of his mouth. Smokers not only smelled bad, they tasted bad like a bread pudding that sat in an oven too long.

He walked up to the bar, ordered a bottle of water and a slice of cherry pie. He devoured the pie in three bites, chased it with water, then stepped back outside to rinse his mouth. Stefan searched the crowd for Bonnie, was glad she was still at the pool table and ordered another slice of pie.

Bonnie looked all around her. Someone had accidentally or purposely touched her hair and she saw something, a vision perhaps of a bleeding woman. Before she could try to follow the person she saw Stefan approaching her with a slice of cherry pie.

"Dessert before dinner, bad boy," she admonished playfully.

"You know I change the rules all the time," he cut a piece and fed it to Bonnie.

"It's good," she said between chews. As she brought her eyes up to him she had a mind to tell him about the image she saw, but a glob of cherry filing on the corner of his mouth diverted her. Bonnie wiped it off with her thumb.

Alarmed that it might be blood, Stefan snatched her hand before Bonnie could stick the digit in her mouth. He licked the red glob away, relieved it wasn't blood.

"Why don't we get our food to go?" he suggested, needing to put as much distance between himself and the place of his latest feeding. "We have the boardinghouse all to ourselves. It shouldn't be wasted."

"All right." As much activity as they've experienced the last few days, Bonnie wouldn't mind a little peace and quiet. "I'm not sure but I might have seen something."

Stefan's attention was rapt on her. He knew Bonnie had the ability to have visions. "What?"

"A woman bleeding, but I didn't see her face."

"Someone touched you? You touched someone?"

"No, maybe someone accidentally brushed against me."

There'd no point to asking who because the place was overcrowded. It could have been anyone. He was more than ready to leave now.

"Come on. Let's get our food and go."

* * *

This was his third time brushing his teeth and he could still taste that girl's blood in his mouth. Stefan squirted more toothpaste on his brush and vigorously scrubbed. He avoided looking at his reflection in the mirror because he had broken his promise again.

Bonnie was getting ready for bed in their bathroom; he was in Damon's because he needed time to think and collect himself.

Was he being selfish in being with Bonnie knowing so many things could go wrong? It was a question that would bombard his thoughts usually when he saw Bonnie talking to Damon. Maybe deep down he was jealous of the connection they shared—if he could call it a connection. Those two had so many things in common it was a little disconcerting, but Bonnie had a lot in common with him as well, he reminded himself.

However…it was the old him she had more in common with than the man standing in the mirror right now. But he didn't like the old him, all emo and brooding and emasculated out of love.

Klaus had turned him into a slave of not giving a shit, but somehow he still found love.

Stefan spat out the toothpaste, rinsed his mouth, and glowered at his reflection.

"You've hurt a lot of people," he said. "Some of them were good, many of them weren't, but they were people all the same."

Stefan growled. He hated this, the second guessing, the mind tricks the blood would play on him. Old insecurities had a way of coming back up to the surface when he was faced with a situation where he had little to no control. He couldn't control what this stalker might do or what he may have planned for Bonnie. He'd have to be on his P's and Q's but she would only allow him to protect her but so far.

It bothered him immensely that she would trust this problem with Damon and not him. What was her reasoning behind it? Oh, because he would have ripped the head off any guy who looked at her longer than three seconds. Okay, fine, he could accept that as one reason she'd keep this from him, but to go to his brother? Why not Alaric? Why not take this straight to Sheriff Forbes? God knew that woman needed something to do.

Stefan inadvertently snapped his toothbrush in half.

He trashed it, flicked his eyes at himself once more before leaving Damon's room.

Stefan found Bonnie slipping into a night gown with thin straps, and she fluffed out her hair so that it fell nicely around her shoulders. He just stood against the threshold admiring her and feeling more than perplexed by the fact she would entrust him with her heart when she could be with someone who was less complicated.

He was sure Bonnie's life only made sense to her when she was in the midst of chaos.

Bonnie felt Stefan hovering in the doorway. She knew him well enough to know something was on his mind. When she turned to face him of course his veneer was blank, but what she read of his aura—he was experiencing a weird state of flux.

Instead of asking him what was wrong, she approached him and wrapped her arms around his torso. He was cold and hard against her warm pliant flesh. In the beginning it took some getting used to, but now she couldn't imagine not feeling him beside her.

"We should talk about New Year's," Bonnie said to break the numbing silence.

With his arms wrapped around her, Stefan rubbed his cheek against the crown of her head. "You feel like traveling?"

Bonnie peeled her head off his chest to stare up into his eyes. "I've always wanted to go to New York and stand in the frigid cold in the middle of Time's Square. Or at the very least, party with Carson Daly in a warm studio and dance the night away."

Stefan pulled away and began to strip out of his clothes. Bonnie watched him with a raised eyebrow. When he stood in the buff with his back to her, Stefan pulled out a pair of gray sweat pants and slipped them on.

"We can do that," he finally said.

"Stefan…what's wrong?"

He kept his back to her. Was he PMSing? Probably. He just wanted to go to bed. He didn't want to talk or think for that matter.

When he couldn't put it off any longer he turned around. Bonnie looked as if she were bracing herself for bad news. Her day started off crappy, why not end it crappy?

Cupping her face between his palms, he lowered his head and kissed her.

Bonnie was the first to pull away and captured his wrist. "What's wrong?" she asked again. Stefan had a way of only wanting to express himself through bouts of sex.

He shook his head. "Everything and nothing," he answered vaguely. "We have ninety-nine problems as usual. I'm just sick of it. I want to live my life with my girl and be done with all the other bullshit that loves to pop up and yell surprise."

"Okay, then we deal with this problem like we've dealt with all the others. But don't you breakdown on me. I need you."

"I know you do and I want to be here for you, I really do."

To Bonnie's ears it sounded as if Stefan knew he was going away. Had Klaus ordered him to do something?

Stefan was astute enough to read the implication in her eyes. "I haven't heard from Klaus although that doesn't mean he isn't circling."

She studied him with shrewd eyes. Other than Klaus, the stalker, and on occasion Damon bothering him, there was another problem that always haunted Stefan.

"You're hungry."

And there you have it. The bomb. The explosion. The cries in the night.

"I'm dealing with it," he replied curtly.

Bonnie sighed, stared at her hands, glanced at Stefan, and then made up her mind. She pushed her hair off her neck and turned her head.

Stefan's eyes quickly ran over the invitation she was presenting. Instantly his fangs lengthened, his eyes turned red, the veins undulated underneath.

"No!" he said sharply and stepped away from her, balling his hands into fists.

"Stefan, if I can help you let me help you."

"Bonnie…" he nearly whispered her name and felt his knees buckling."Please don't tempt me."

"My blood is powerful enough to curb the cravings. Drink, Stefan."

That unfortunately was true. All he needed was a hit of her blood and his derailed cars would be back on track. Stefan took a step closer, licked his lips, brushed his fingers against her warm, slender neck. Bonnie didn't flinch, but leaned into his touch.

His breathing turned deeper. She could hear every single exhale.

Stefan bended his knees, opened his jaw, and sunk his teeth into her.

After the first gulp she relaxed into him, when the second one came, she burrowed her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck.

Her blood gushed into his mouth like a river, saturated with her special blend of spice, with her life, with everything about Bonnie he loved.

Stefan felt the muscles under his skin turning into steel, felt the fragments of his mind weave back together, he began to feel more like himself.

After the fifth pull he released her and licked the excess blood away; his saliva acting as a band-aid as it sealed the puncture wounds his teeth and fangs created.

They stared at each other.

"Do you feel better?"

He nodded his head. "You can't keep letting me do that."

"I know, but it's either this or you massacre everyone you come into contact with."

"Am I really that horrible?" he asked self-deprecatingly.

"Is the sky blue?"

He chuckled.

Stefan picked her up bridal style and deposited Bonnie in the middle of the bed. He joined her and like the jaws of a Venus fly trap they came together holding each other tightly.

* * *

Bonnie was going to throw up. The front door was going to open and she was going to show the world what she ate for breakfast. She looked off to the side and spotted the rolled up water hose. They might need to power wash the porch if all didn't go well.

She had never been mortally afraid to come to this house, which had been like a second home to her—third home if she counted all the nights she stayed over at Grams. But she couldn't feel more like a Jehovah's Witness right now—the fear of being rejected was thick enough she could cut it with a knife.

_You can do this, Bonnie._

She rang the doorbell and waited as her limbs began to vibrate as if someone plucked her like she was a string. Bonnie swallowed again, cleared her throat, and thought perhaps she still had time to make it back to her car and speed down the road before the front door opened.

Too late, the door picked that moment to open and Bonnie found herself staring into a familiar pair of brown eyes sunken into an olive face surrounded by long raven hair.

"Hi, Elena."

Chapter end.

**A/N: As always my lovelies…thanks for reading!**


	20. No Place Like New York

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_Lena,_

_I found that picture of you with your parents when I was cleaning out my closet. I don't know how it got there but I did remember you used to carry it with you everywhere shortly after they died. _

_I remember that day sitting on your bed while Mrs. Miranda pulled out your clothes and then styled our hair the same so we could look like twins. I thought to myself I wished my mom were still around to be the mom I needed, but Mrs. Miranda took me in as her adopted daughter. Your mom was my mom, your family was my family, and I remember how excited you were to get your picture taken. And at school the next day that's when you told me you were going to be a big sister._

_I had mixed feelings about the news because I thought you'd like your little brother or sister better than you liked me and there wouldn't be a need for us to hang out everyday, but you knew me so well and how I thought, that you said nothing would ever come between us—that we were sisters._

_Flash forward twelve years and something has come between us._

_What do you say to the girl who's been more than a friend, but a sister after you betrayed her? Sorry doesn't even cut it, but it's a place to start. Everyday has been a carousel of joy and misery. Joy because well for the first time in a long time I feel love, and misery because I lost my best friend because of my inability to tell the truth._

_We always promised to tell each the truth no matter how painful or blunt it was. Sometimes we upheld the policy and a lot of the time we let things slip through the cracks, willful omissions or replaced it with a harmless white lie. I should have been upfront and honest about me and Stefan—would that have helped matters, I can't say, but I know it would have been less painful than the way you found out._

_I can't express to you how much I regret my decision to not say anything, to just brush it under the rug in the hopes it might go away or the compulsion would break and everything would go back to the way it was. And perhaps your feelings for Damon had a hand in me keeping my silence; I'm not blaming you but merely trying to explain my jacked up way of thinking. Does this excuse the deceit of my actions? No. Am I mortally sorry that our friendship was sacrificed—more than words can explain. _

_Going through this I've learned the importance of family, friendship, and being honest. I wasn't honest with my best friend and as a result she may hate me for the rest of my life. If that's the price I have to pay…then I'll pay it, but I've never stopped thinking of you as my friend, as my sister, as my blood, and hopefully one day we can work out our differences and repair the damage that was done to our relationship. In the mean time I want to give back a piece of your childhood that was taken._

_I love you with all my heart,_

_Bonnie_

Elena attempted to smile but it didn't reach her eyes. Instead, she stepped aside so Bonnie could enter the premises.

Bonnie looked around at the familiar knick knacks that decorated the foyer, staircase, the living and dining room; everything was still the same, still smelled the same but felt alien. She wasn't sure where this particular conversation was going to take place so she stood awkwardly next to the staircase as Elena closed and locked the front door.

"When did you get back?" Bonnie inquired and followed Elena as she walked into the living room.

Elena pushed a strand of raven hair behind her ear and sat down on the couch. "Last night. Jeremy wasn't happy about coming back, but…" Elena didn't finish her thought, merely hunched her shoulders.

Bonnie sat down but at a noticeable distance. The living room felt eerily cold which Bonnie was thankful for because she had broken out into a sweat.

"Thank you for agreeing to talk to me."

Elena nodded and remained silent. This was hard. Being in the same room with Bonnie wanting to hug her because they had gone almost two full months without speaking to each other, to equally wanting to rip her hair out. She was still bitter about the whole Bonnie/Stefan affair but Elena also knew she wasn't completely blameless in this whole thing either. There was Damon to consider whom she hadn't spoken with since the day she told him she wanted space to clear out all the junk in her head. She had hurt him and never really apologized to him either. No one in their group had exclusive rights to pain; it was an equal opportunity employer.

Bonnie cleared her throat and wished she still had the freedom to walk around the Gilbert pad like she used to because she would have made a beeline for the kitchen to get something to drink.

"I feel I should start at the beginning," Bonnie explained. "Put everything out on the table and then dissect it if you want to."

"That won't be necessary. I know…you didn't maliciously go after Stefan and yes, I know he and I weren't together when things between you started. It was a blow to my heart because I loved him and we were together for a year and like that," she snapped her fingers, "Klaus took away his humanity and with it our love went up in smoke. Move forward a month and a half later, I discover that Stefan can still feel for people. It was more than a slap in the face. It broke my heart."

"Elena, I can't wrap my head around how everything unfolded the way it did because it doesn't make sense to me, but I want you to know how sorry I am. If I could go back and do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have allowed it to happen, and if it still happened, I would've told you right away. You loved him first. You deserved to know."

Elena licked her lips and curled her knees up her chest. "And now you love him," she said bitterly. Elena sighed deeply and looked at Bonnie. "But no one is to blame for the two of you falling in love." Silence. "I forgive you, Bon, but I'm still fighting against being mad."

"You have every right to be mad," Bonnie said. "It was a real shitty thing I did. I kept such a big secret from you."

Elena nodded. "My reaction was shitty as well."

Inwardly Bonnie felt the tension evaporate from her shoulders, and relief coagulate inside of her. She had earned Elena's forgiveness, but that didn't mean they'd pick back up where they left off.

"In all honesty, I deserved it," Bonnie said with a self-deprecating smile. "If the situation was reversed I probably would have reacted the same way. Love is passionate and it can make you do stupid and irrational things. How Stefan and I got together wasn't conventional by any stretch of the word, but…we shouldn't have kept it from you."

Elena mulled over her words and went on to say, "Alaric… gave me some lecture about friends and family and loyalty and he reminded me that you were willing to die for me and that's not something that should be taken lightly. And he painfully reminded me that I forgave Damon after he purposely broke Jeremy's neck. If I could do that, why couldn't I forgive you?

"He made me realize we had too much history, a much longer history than my history with Stefan, and I shouldn't just throw it away. And Caroline has been on my back as well so I'm willing to try to get back to where we were before the lies and omission of truth broke us up."

"It won't be easy because I know you still don't trust me, but I'm willing to do what it takes to get us back to where we were but better."

Elena's silence answered that statement, but then she smiled.

"You're right. And yeah, I haven't given you a reason to trust me either," Elena chortled. "This year has been a total nightmare."

Bonnie nodded her head.

"And I'm so glad its ending tomorrow night," Elena finally smiled her first real smile in what seemed like a decade.

"Yeah," Bonnie smirked. "So what's next?"

The brunette shrugged. "I guess…update me on what's been happening since I became a virtual hermit."

"That I can do," Bonnie said and filled her in on all the happenings, including the finger she received.

"Oh, my God," Elena's doe-brown eyes widened in disbelief and horror. "Do you have any idea who might be behind it?"

"I don't have a clue. For the time being Damon and Stefan are willing to work together to uncover who's behind it. Damon left yesterday for Charlotte to try to track down Katherine. She's a possible suspect."

Elena could see it.

"How has Damon been?" Elena asked tentatively. She had been very careful in not asking anyone to give her updates on the dark vampire because part of her felt she had no right to know what was going on in his life since she kicked him out of hers.

Bonnie shrugged a shoulder. "He's been Damon, drowning his sorrows in the bottom of a glass. But mostly I've been working on getting his and Stefan's relationship back to Pre-K."

Confusion marred Elena's face. "Pre-kindergarten?"

Bonnie laughed. "No although they act like they're in pre-kindergarten. I meant Pre-Katherine."

"Ah. How's that going?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Well, they haven't stabbed each other lately so I guess that means we're making progress."

The old friends conversed for another hour before Bonnie departed to finish packing for her road trip.

"If I don't talk to you before tonight, have a Happy New Year, Bonnie."

"You too, Elena."

Now would have been the time for them to hug one another, but they merely waved and Bonnie walked off to her car.

Elena remained on her porch and watched as Bonnie drove off. A minute or two later she heard Jeremy coming down the stairs.

"I know you aren't serious about forgiving her," Jeremy accused.

Sighing Elena walked into the foyer closing the door after her. "She's my best friend…of course I forgive her because that's what Mom and Dad taught us. I hope for your sake you can do the same thing. It's time for us to grow up, Jeremy."

* * *

Where on earth was Carmen San Diego? Damon thought as he drove down another lonely highway heading to one of Katherine's safe houses. So far his search for Katherine had turned up zilch. He began in Charlotte, NC at the mausoleum where Michael was buried. All he found was an empty crypt and a row of eyelashes—he knew them things were fake, but that was it.

He compelled the groundskeeper into telling him if any bizarre activity had been going on like a man in a moth eaten suit just traipsing out of the crypt one day. But come to find out the man was only recently employed because the previous groundkeeper disappeared.

Damon knew what that meant. Katherine had turned him into vampire food.

The number she gave him was no longer in service. One thing he learned about Katherine the first time he traveled the world over looking for her was that she never stayed in the same city or country for more than a month, and she constantly changed cell phone numbers. It was her way of staying one step ahead of the Po-Po.

Twice on his trip he had to resist throwing in the towel because if Katherine was responsible for Bonnie's stalker she'd show up eventually to take credit for her ingenious master plan. They'd just have to wait her out.

Well, time had never been a fan of their work or took their schedule into consideration, and Damon knew Klaus' inevitable return to Mystic Falls for both his bubbly sister and Elena was imminent.

This would make for the first time he thought of Elena since she pretty much slammed the door in his face and told him to kick rocks because she'd never love him the way she loved Stefan. Despite what people thought of him, Damon had his pride and he wouldn't allow some eighteen year old chick, no matter how hot she was, crush his heart with her Chuck Taylors.

He had his limits as well. And standards although they weren't that high.

Picking up a blood bag from the passenger seat, he took a sip and pressed his foot harder on the gas.

He was probably fifteen miles outside of Charleston when his phone ringed.

Of course it would be a call coming from a blocked number. He smirked.

"M'hello," he said.

"I heard you've been looking for me."

"Monica Lewinsky how did you get my number?"

"Funny," Katherine dead panned.

Damon listened very carefully to what was going on in the background to figure out if she might be in a city or in a cornfield.

"What do you want, Damon? I already explained to you what happened with Mikael, which I'm surprised he hasn't popped up to pay you a visit."

"I'm sure that's on his long list of things to do. But he's not the reason I'm scouring the earth with a black light and toothcomb looking for you. Have you compelled some guy to fake stalk Bonnie in an elaborate plan to mutilate her and Stefan's relationship?"

There was silence on the end and then…Katherine began cackling like a hyena. Damon rolled his eyes and finished off the blood bag before tossing it out the window.

When Katherine sobered she replied. "So Stefan is with the witch? I see the two of you are determined to run through all of Elena's friends," she chuckled. "And as ingenious as that plan is…sorry to disappoint, lover but I can't take the credit for that."

He didn't believe her. "So where have you been?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," she purred. "Listen as much as I'd love to continue this conversation I have things to do. Peace."

Dial tone.

Damon negligently tossed his phone on the passenger seat. Well there was nothing for him to do now but find a decent five-star hotel and bring in the New Year with a co-ed and a bottle of champagne.

Well he found a hotel, it was only four-star but it would do because he planned to get on the road at the first sign of light. And as for the co-ed, the manager's nineteen year old daughter would do.

After chatting her up for an hour, he invited her up to his room once she finished her shift.

She used the master key to enter his suite. Damon was already waiting for her on the bed, sans shirt. His eyes drank her in and he refused to think of the similarities between this girl and a certain person from back home. They were about the same height and weight, but the manager's daughter—Tabitha he finally remembered her name—her eyes were black like onyx stones, and she was russet in complexion.

"I've never done this kind of thing before," Tabitha said and began to unbutton her shirt.

Damon's smirk increased. Right, she hadn't hooked up with a hot customer before his ass. She moved a little too stealthily in his opinion, but it didn't matter. This wasn't about love or respect, but mutual need and lust.

Hopefully he wouldn't be disappointed.

Damon crooked his finger at her and Tabitha was only too happy to oblige and came closer. She climbed on the bed, over his body and then like magic their lips were fused together.

After he kissed her silly, he whispered in her ear. "Are you up for some role playing?"

Tabitha looked thrilled and excited and nodded her head.

"Would you mind if I called you Bonnie?"

I

* * *

**New York**

Bonnie wanted to do everything that was remotely possible to do in New York on New Year's Eve. She wanted to see the Statute of Liberty and climb up that gal's dress all the way to the top to overlook New York. She wanted to eat a hotdog on Coney Island, wanted to go shopping on Fifth Avenue, wanted to catch a show at The Apollo; and then finally stand in the middle of Time's Square and see the crystal ball drop down and light up the huge 2012 marquee and kiss the life out of Stefan.

Okay, so Stefan had no life per se, so she'd kiss life into him.

After he had her blood he became the Stefan who made her nuts but then showed her how to have a good time. He was back to making jokes, and being rude, and feeling her up, and she had no idea how much she missed that side of him or had gotten used to it when he slipped very briefly into melancholia and tried to keep her at arm's length.

They had been very good about staying away from a series of topics that threatened to remind them that as quickly as he escaped the darkness it could come back with a vengeance: Elena, her stalker, and his hunger.

Stefan held on to her hand as he drove over the George Washington Bridge. Bonnie resting against the passenger seat had her gaze rapt on Stefan.

Throughout the ride up to New York she thought periodically about her talk with Elena. It went far better than she could have hoped, and though they patched up some of the holes in their relationship, with one wrong move it could all fall apart again. If someone were to ask her if she could walk away from Stefan, wipe her hands clean and resume the life she was living previously, four months ago she would have been able to answer "yes" unequivocally. Now was another matter. She was just too engrained in him to just give him up without a fight.

And she was more than glad Elena hadn't asked her to as a condition to them being friends again.

Stefan felt her penetrating gaze and hazarded a quick look in her direction. She was smiling and seemingly content with the world. If he could crack open her head to see what was inside, he'd do it, but they had a candidly honest relationship—if there was something he wanted to know all he had to do was ask.

"Is there something on my face because you keep staring at me?" he asked and switched lanes to avoid having to slow down since there was a tractor trailer up ahead who was putt-putting.

Bonnie raised her brows. "No, there's nothing wrong with your face other than the fact it's fatally handsome," she grinned.

Stefan winked at her.

"I'm just amazed with where we are and that we're here together."

"Hmm. Well, I have to tell you something," he said.

"I'm listening."

"When we first met, I had a very vivid dream about the two of us. We were at some club, dancing, having a good time and then we kind of stopped and stared at one another. You motioned for me to lean down so you could whisper something in my ear, and of course me being the gentleman that I am, I obliged you. Do you want to know what you said to me?"

Bonnie merely nodded her head.

Stefan's grin increased and Bonnie already knew it was something filthy.

"You said… 'All I think about is your hands on my skin and your mouth on my'…"

"Stefan!" Bonnie squeaked and hit his shoulder. She giggled. "I did not and would not say something like that to you back then and you know it."

He chuckled. "But I did have a dream about you, though. You were running in the woods, either running away from something or running to something, but you kept looking over your shoulder. At first I thought you were running away from me, but then you called my name, and bam I was there, holding out my hand. You took it and the two of us started running but then we stopped abruptly and you said, 'I've never wanted anyone the way I want you'. And that, my love, _is _true."

Bonnie sat back against the seat and thought about what he said. "Admit it," she said suddenly. "You had the hots for me when you moved back into town."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did. I caught you staring at me several times in history class with that dreadful Mr. Tanner."

"Only because you made such funny faces whenever he called on you. Now that I think about it, that guy was probably the one with the crush."

Bonnie snorted and then shivered. Someone like Mr. Tanner liking anything other than the sound of his haughty voice just didn't compute with her.

"How much longer before we get to the hotel?" she asked.

"Anxious much?" Stefan looked at her. "Don't worry we should be there in another hour."

It took two hours to reach the hotel due to gridlock traffic but they arrived at The W Hotel, checked into their suite, and headed back out because Bonnie was in need of food and a party dress.

They grabbed a bite to eat at the nearest restaurant which was overcrowded with out-of-towners much like themselves.

While waiting for their order they slobbered each other down, causing quite a scene but neither one of them cared.

At Neiman Marcus Bonnie tried on dress after dress each one more risqué than its predecessor. Stefan sat back with a bottle of champagne in a chair propped up outside of her dressing room enjoying the peepshow.

"What do you think of this one?" Bonnie asked as she stepped out of the dressing room and up on the dais. She did a little twirl to show Stefan the dress—what dress there was to show. It was short, backless and sparkled like diamonds.

He cleared his throat and wiped the drool off his chin. "I love it, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate for where we're going tonight."

Bonnie planted a hand on her hip. "About that, you still haven't told me what we're doing. And we have exactly seven hours left before the start of the New Year. Can't you cut me some slack and drop a hint or two?"

"I told you before we left Mystic Falls that it's a surprise. Now I love you in that dress, but maybe you should get something with a touch more fabric."

Huffing, Bonnie ungraciously stepped down from the dais and slammed the door to her dressing room. As she was unzipping a knock sounded on the door.

"Yes?"

"I think I found something. Let me in."

Bonnie cracked opened the door, eyed Stefan, and opened the door a little wider for him to enter. He was hiding something behind his back and the glimpse she got of it, she saw that it was deep indigo in color.

"What's that?" she asked.

Stefan invaded her personal space with both hands behind his back. "Close your eyes," he whispered.

Bonnie stared into his orbs for a moment before doing as he instructed.

"Turn around."

She did.

The dress she was presently wearing fell down to her feet.

"Step in."

Bonnie wobbled a bit but then she felt a cold smooth fabric gliding up her legs, and covering her lady bumps. The noise of the zipper caught her attention, the snugness of the dress instantly made her feel empowered.

"You can open your eyes now."

When she did she gasped. Unfair, his taste was by far better than hers. But then again, in her case, that was a very good thing.

Things from that moment on got a little frisky but not to the point they'd have to be escorted out by security.

The straps of her stilettos was digging into her skin, and she was constantly being bumped into by the crush of gyrating bodies but Bonnie didn't mind because she was in New York on New Year's Eve working up a sweat in one of the hottest nightclubs in the city. But the best part of it was dancing up against Stefan.

No matter what she couldn't stop smiling and didn't want to not until it was time to go to bed. Bonnie figured her back wouldn't be hitting a mattress until the following day.

They were only an hour and fifteen minutes away from bringing in the New Year and she couldn't wait to lay one on him.

From the way his eyes devoured her it was plain to see he had another way in mind for bringing in the New Year. Down boy.

Once "Your Love is My Drug" faded to something a little slower, Stefan leaned into Bonnie to shout in her ear.

"Do you want something to drink?"

Bonnie fanned herself only now realizing how very thirsty she was. "Yeah!" she yelled as loudly as she could. Stefan took her by the hand and began to pull her in the direction of the bar.

The closest Bonnie ever came to being in a club was when she went with one her cousin's to this hole in the wall joint in the boondocks of Tennessee over the summer. It was more of a trailer that the owner tried to convert into a club but had been unsuccessful. However when they arrived the place was packed and Bonnie was uncomfortable the whole time expecting someone to flip out switchblades and shotguns.

She had a relatively interesting time as she sipped vodka out of a mason jar and constantly warded off the advances of the "young" men who tried to pick her up. Bonnie had pretended to be related to everyone to thwart off any future attempts.

Stefan shoved his way to the bar and put in an order for a shot of patron for him and an apple martini for Bonnie.

"Do my eyes deceive me or is that really Stefan Salvatore?"

Bonnie froze; Stefan did as well and cursed lowly under his breath. He turned around and came face-to-face with another blast from his past.

Bonnie's outfit and shoes were fancy, but the woman—correction—vampire standing adjacent to her made her feel as if she got her dress from Target and her shoes off the clearance rack at Payless. And of course she was beautiful like, Brazilian beautiful, with a mane of thick blond hair with ice blonde highlights, and eyes the color of sapphires. Tall, willowy, and otherworldly she was just the type of girl any guy with half a brain would fall in love with.

"Helena," Stefan deadpanned and blindly reached for Bonnie.

_You're kidding, right, _Bonnie thought uncannily. Her name was Helena?

Helena beamed that Stefan remembered her although vampires had sharp memories and forgot nothing.

She ignored Bonnie as she leaned in and kissed his cheek leaving a stain of blood red lipstick on his face. Stefan steeled himself not to wipe it off but he felt the tingle her lips left behind. He blindly reached for Bonnie's hand and was instantly relieved she wasn't going to be stubborn, and slipped her hand into his interlocking their fingers. Stefan pulled her beside him.

It was then that Helena took notice of Bonnie, her cold calculating eyes raking her over.

If her eyes had been talons they would have left welts all over Bonnie of that she was absolutely certain.

"Who's this?"

"My girlfriend." And he wasn't going to elaborate more than that.

Helena held out a hand for Bonnie to shake. Bonnie hesitated and briefly flashed her eyes up at Stefan. He infinitesimally nodded his head but he was holding his breath.

Helena for as beautiful as she was, was as insane and unstable as a vampire could get. She viciously murdered her own maker, drank the blood of children, and caused all around mayhem. He had met her when he was at the height of his ripper-dom but was ever thankful Lexi coaxed him off of the dark path he was on when he first met Helena.

His eyes began to search the crowd for her companions. Helena preferred to live in a nest or coven rather than branch out on her own. And you know what they say: birds of a feather flocked together. If they discovered Bonnie was a witch, there'd be no telling what they might do to get their hands on her. Stefan could fight Helena—he was older than her by eighty years, but he wouldn't be able to fight six versions of Helena at once.

Bonnie steeled herself from recoiling from Helena's touch. Her skin was cold and hard that was to be expected, however the influx of images that was being beamed into her head made her feel dizzy and nauseous.

This woman was sick!

Bonnie dropped her hand as quickly as she could without being impolite.

Bonnie said. "You're from Troy, Michigan?"

Helena's eyes widened impressively. Then she brought her attention to Stefan. He was doing his level best not to look panicky. Curious, Helena thought.

"How did you know?" Helena gushed.

Bonnie shrugged her shoulder and then masterfully placed her hand on Stefan's chest, the hand with her lapis lazuli ring, and wrapped herself around him.

"Lucky guess," Bonnie said and kissed Stefan's cheek.

Helena watched their interaction.

Bonnie's heart was pounding but she was hoping Helena couldn't hear it. If she could pretend to be a vampire so Helena wouldn't attempt to make a meal out of her, it could buy them some time to make a quick exit out of the club.

Helena was looking for trouble and now she had found it.

"How long are you and your companion in town for, Stefan?"

"We're leaving in the morning, but…we were just about to head out the door. Come on, sweetie."

Stefan made an attempt to move, but Helena pushed him back gently. "We haven't seen each other in decades. What's the rush? The whole crew is here and I'd know they'd love to see the famed Ripper Stefan. What's one drink amongst friends?"

_Shit_, he was afraid this would happen. If he refused, Helena would go after him. If he accepted, the probability of Bonnie being outed increased.

Stefan licked his lips and laughed. "Sure," he said. "One drink and then we have to go."

"There's tequila at our table," Helena smiled, clapped her hands and pivoted so quickly on her feet it made several heads spin.

The couple followed after her, Bonnie clinging to Stefan for dear life. He rubbed the small of her back.

"It's gonna be okay," he said.

Bonnie gulped and prayed he'd be right.

There were five vampires sitting around the table in the VIP area of the club. All of them were male and looked hungry and dangerous. Bonnie felt her heart torpedo in her chest.

"Everyone, look who I found," Helena sing song.

"Is that Stefan?"

"Eh, yo Stefan what's up, baby?'

"Where the fuck have you been hiding all this time?"

"Who's the babe?'

All these questions were asked simultaneously.

Stefan sat down and pulled Bonnie on his lap for that she was glad. So this is what it feels like to be trapped in a shark tank.

They were all aesthetically pleasing and were probably made in their twenties, but their eyes were soulless and cold, especially the one sitting directly across from Bonnie although she couldn't see his eyes because he was wearing shades. There was just darkness all around him. And he was the only one who didn't greet Stefan for his eyes had been too busy assessing her.

Stefan saw this and tightened his grip on Bonnie. He remembered that vampire, Craven was his name. Next to Helena he was the ruler of this dysfunctional group of killers. If he ordered his entourage to separate Stefan and Bonnie they'd do it no questions asked and despite the fact they at one time called Stefan a friend. When blood was on the line, gloves came off, fangs popped out, and it was every man for himself.

Helena poured the tequila shots and passed them all around. Bonnie grabbed hers and drained it like a pro.

Two of the vampires crushed the shot glasses in their hands while the others slammed theirs back on the table.

"You okay?" Stefan whispered as lowly into her ear as possible. Bonnie smiled tightly in response and kept her eyes on the sinister vampire.

"When did you turn her?" sinister vampire asked.

Stefan stiffened and looked directly at Craven. "Not long ago."

"She is ripe," another vampire said as if he were in a trance. He unconsciously licked his lips.

Bonnie tried to remain as aloof as possible so her humanity wouldn't shine through. But she was nervous like a virgin in county jail. They needed to leave and they needed to leave now!

Helena saddled up next to Bonnie and captured a strand of her hair between her fingers, testing the texture. "She must be very young indeed because her hair still feels alive."

"Look, we had a drink but me and my girl have other plans across town."

Stefan attempted to get up again, but Helena pushed him back in the seat. "We haven't had a _real_ drink yet," she then snapped her fingers.

A young club goer was brought seemingly out of nowhere. She was bleeding and crying but had been compelled not to run away. Her hands and feet weren't bound because otherwise if she were in control of herself she would have run for the hills kicking and screaming.

The girl was forced onto the lap of a vampire sitting to the left of Stefan. He looked like a mix martial arts athlete because he had a shaved head and tattoos on his neck and arms. He viciously ripped into the girl's wrist, she cried out and whimpered and her blood was then spilled into a martini glass.

Stefan felt Bonnie vibrating. He tightened his arms around her waist again. Now wasn't the place for to unleash her Power. She was fighting hard against her nature to intervene on the girl's behalf and put a stop to this.

Once the glass was full, the girl was cast aside. The vampire to Stefan's left picked up the glass and took a hearty sip.

"Save some for the rest, Liam," Helena chastised.

Stefan knew they were more so doing this as a test. Either they were going to have to expose what Bonnie was or Bonnie was going to have to drink that girl's blood.

Of course the glass was passed to Bonnie next.

"Don't worry," she said in his ear. "I can work a spell to make them think I drank her blood."

She took the glass out of Liam's hand, raised it up and whispered some quick words and tossed the glass back.

Everyone had been holding their breath.

Bonnie licked the "fake" blood off her lips and smiled. "Good. Just the right temperature."

If it weren't for the booming music you could have heard the crickets singing.

Then there was a chorus of laughter.

Sinister Vampire didn't look convinced. He motioned with his fingers for Helena to come here. They began speaking to one another in a language Stefan couldn't decipher, but Sinister Vampire would flick his eyes at Bonnie occasionally.

Stefan took that as their cue to go. He nudged Bonnie who hastily got off his lap.

Naturally this drew everyone's attention.

"Why are you so insistent in running off, Stefan?" her eyes then flicked towards Bonnie. It was too late. They had run out of time.

"Are you trying to protect…your human…your human _witch_?"

"Witch?" Stefan asked dumbly. "She's not a witch. She's a vampire like us."

Helena smiled and when she did all Bonnie could focus on where her big sharp and pointy teeth.

"Stefan…for a wonderful killer you are you've never been a good liar. Probably one of the worst I know. Besides, you forget I can sense gifts in people, and the girl sitting on your lap is like a nuclear power plant."

The mood around the table shifted from carnal interest to pure unadulterated greed. Liam and two others looked ready to pounce and rip into Bonnie's throat or other body parts, while the other three just looked plain hungry.

Stefan began to formulate a plan and activated it when he yelled:

"Bonnie run!" Stefan pushed Bonnie towards the stairs, grabbed the blood donor bit into her jugular and used the spurt of blood to his advantage by spraying Helena in the eyes with it.

The other vampires were distracted by the cherry liquid as it spewed everywhere.

However, Sinister Vampire kept his gaze on the martini glass that at one point was only coated with blood residue, now it was full again.

Stefan flashed down the stairs, caught Bonnie around the waist, hoisted her over his shoulder and zoomed out of the club. This was done in two-thirds of a minute.

They made it to the car. Stefan's jaw set tight with determination as he unlocked the doors. Bonnie climbed in too nervous to ask questions.

Just as Stefan cranked the engine, the car was jostled. One of the vampire's had jumped on the roof and began to pound it with his fist.

Bonnie screamed. They were swarmed.

Stefan's window was kicked open, glass exploded and Bonnie turned her head away. Hands reached in and wrenched Stefan from the car. He was thrown several feet away, landing on the pavement with a noticeable crunch. Two vampires rushed him and began wailing on him, stomping his legs, his head, whatever they could reach.

"Stefan!"

One of the crazy vampires climbed in through the window attempting to reach her, but Bonnie gave him an aneurysm. In fact she spread the love around dropping all the vampires to their feet except Stefan who finally peeled himself off the ground.

Bonnie got out of the car, ran over to Stefan.

He looked around frantically. Craven and Helena weren't amongst the vampires but he didn't care. They needed to put as much distance between themselves and this club, but there was still business which needed taking care of. Getting rid of the vampires.

Finally finding what he was looking for, Stefan reached up for a pipe and pulled it free.

Water burst forth and began to saturate the area.

With the flick of her powers, the water ignited and Bonnie lit up the four vampires that tried to ruin her New Year's Eve.

"I knew she was gifted," Helena said behind them.

Stefan and Bonnie spun around.

"Just let us go, Helena."

"She did us a favor by getting rid of those…" her face changed from coolness to fury, "no good fucking cocksuckers. They murdered my lover. I've wanted them dead for a long time, but they used a witch to hex me from tearing them apart."

Hun?

"I am indebted to you, Bonnie," Helena vowed.

"Okay," Bonnie drew out the word.

Craven stepped out of the shadows and approached Bonnie. She jumped wanting to keep as much distance between them.

He took off his sunshades revealing his nearly all white eyes. Eww, gross.

Helena acting as translator asked Bonnie. "He wants to know if you posses the power to restore his sight."

Bonnie looked bewildered just like Stefan.

Okay so Helena and Craven weren't the real threat, but the other vampires. This wasn't making sense because Stefan remembered how vicious they were. Helena did bathe in the blood of virgins—okay maybe it was a one-time thing—it was still eerie. And Stefan didn't want to remember half the things Craven did for kicks. Trust him, you couldn't trust vampires.

But maybe a tiger could change his spots after all.

"I-I I'm sorry but I'm not sure. I could look into something and get back to you," Bonnie replied coyly.

"She's very young in the craft," Stefan added. "It could be years before she learns to do that if she ever does."

Helena looked disappointed but resigned. She reached inside her dress, pulled out a card, and handed it to Stefan.

"Keep in touch, love."

Craven and Helena vanished like smoke.

Bonnie and Stefan looked at each other with question marks blinking over their heads.

From inside the club they could hear people counting down.

_Five…four…three…two…one…_

"Happy New Year," they said in unison and kissed with a bunch of burning vampires in the background.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading guys!**


	21. Memento Mori

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Damon was irritated. He had tried to sneak out of the hotel room before Tabitha woke up from her post-coital nap but unfortunately she turned out to be a light sleeper and woke up as soon as his feet hit the floor. She sat up in bed silently and watched with a dejected expression on her face as Damon threw his clothes in his lone bag, showered, and slipped on a fresh pair of black clothes.

She had asked if they'd see each other again. He said no and that after today she wouldn't remember ever meeting him. But Tabitha boldly dropped the sheet to show her gloriously naked body as she slithered over to him on her hands and knees and said saucily she could never forget the man who made her orgasm for fifteen complete minutes.

As "touched" as he was by the compliment, when Damon woke up with his arm wrapped around a warm body, a big Kool-Aid grin was on his face, and he brought the body closer. His eyes were still closed for a movie was being played out behind his lids of a caramel body riding his dick, head thrown back in ecstasy, bleeding from the bite in her neck, his bite, tasting her exquisite blood. Damon's body had begun to stir and he wanted her again, but when he finally opened his eyes, he was greeted with a stranger's face; he frowned and wanted to kick the imposter out of his bed.

Last night it had been Bonnie who moaned his name in his ear, Bonnie that he rode from the back, whose ass he slapped, whose breasts he sucked.

Waking up to see the demented trick his warped mind played on him, Damon was not only disappointed by the results but with himself.

Why was he repeating history for a third time?

He wasn't in love with Bonnie that he knew with absolute certainty, but he cared about her, and hell he was a man so a little fantasizing about seeing her naked came with the territory.

But to go so far as to ask another woman who really looked nothing like Bonnie to call her by Bonnie's name, said more about his mental state than hers despite agreeing to his request.

Damon wasn't sprung. He was sprung out.

Rejection had a way of making him feel like less than dirt and running to the first source of attention someone of the female species paid him.

Bonnie offered her friendship like the hag presenting the shiny red apple to Snow White. He took it, bit it, and was now being poisoned by it.

So when he strolled through the front door of the boardinghouse, of course the first thing he would see was Bonnie and Stefan napping on the couch.

Bonnie was sleeping on Stefan's chest. They looked so content and in love it was disgusting. Damon snorted, dropped his bag on the floor as loudly as he could to see if it would wake them up. It didn't. They continued to sleep like the dead. Ignoring them he headed over to the bar to pour himself a drink.

He stared out the window and sipped his drink trying his best not to breathe in the air because it was saturated with Bonnie's perfume and natural scent.

When he turned around to head up to his room, the cat had jumped up on the coffee table and eyed him contemptuously.

Damon said nothing only headed to the staircase with Sheila's eyes following him the whole time.

* * *

**Valentine's Day**

**6:35 a.m.**

Bonnie was nervous about this day. Not because she wasn't unsure about what gift to get Stefan or if he'd get her something. In fact they had agreed not to exchange gifts since they had been more than generous to one another during Christmas, and not to mention the fortune he spent on their trips to Seychelles, Dubai, Australia, and New York. They had agreed to have a quiet dinner at the boardinghouse and skip any and all parties. Their luck at social gatherings was not good.

Besides, Bonnie was partied out.

But the reason she was feeling nervous was because the stalker might strike again and leave her another "gift".

Two weeks after she received the finger in the white gift box, the body of the women it belonged to was found on the side of the highway. The coroner reported she had been strangled to death and brutally mutilated. Bonnie didn't want anymore details on her demise.

And of course going against Stefan's objection Bonnie attended Vanessa Pinkston's funeral. Bonnie felt responsible because if it weren't for this Psycho Derek's obsession with her, Vanessa never would have been kidnapped and she wouldn't have died, so Bonnie felt she owed not only Vanessa an apology but her family as well.

In the interim, Bonnie applied for scholarships and awaited either a rejection or acceptance letter from the three schools she applied to. The acceptance letters of her peers were slowly starting to trickle in, and as each day and week passed and Bonnie hadn't heard anything, she grew nervous.

But to keep her mind off of that she signed up for a kickboxing and self-defense class. When Caroline and Elena found out about it, they too joined up. So every Wednesday from seven to nine they carpooled to the only gym in town, perspired to the point they could fill up a garbage can, and beat the crap out of each other and punching bags until their knuckles, knees, and wrists were burning.

The door to her bedroom flew open and Bonnie laughed.

Stefan entered her room wearing a Chippendale's stripper costume, black spandex shorts, white cuffs around his wrists, black bowtie, and combat boots completed the look. His naked torso glistened because it looked as if he hosed himself down with half a bottle of baby oil.

Bonnie screamed. And wished she had a stack of one dollar bills.

Balanced on his fingers was a small silver serving platter. "Your breakfast, milady," he said and bowed before her presenting Bonnie with a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

"Thank you," she said between her giggles and took the bowl off the serving platter. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day to you as well," he kissed her forehead. After Bonnie ate a few spoonfuls of cereal, Stefan sat the platter down on her night table, and from behind his back he presented a box to her.

She almost chocked on the mouthful of cereal as she looked from the box to Stefan's eyes.

"We promised we wouldn't exchange gifts," she complained and sat the cereal aside.

Stefan shrugged his shoulder. "I know and I cheated but I just couldn't resist. When I saw it in the store I knew I had to get it for you. My conscience wouldn't allow me to leave it behind."

"Right," Bonnie said skeptically. She took the box out of his hand and opened it. "Oh," she gushed and pulled the necklace out of the case.

Stefan sat behind her on the bed, took the necklace out of her hands, and placed it around her neck.

"It's an Algerian love knot," he told her.

Bonnie ran her fingers over the intricate knot and felt her heart flutter. He had to stop being so sweet and thoughtful.

Bonnie angled her body until she could face Stefan. "Thank you," she said. They kissed until Bonnie needed air. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Now hurry up and finish your cereal. As much as I would love to skip today, I know you have to make an appearance at school," he made a face to which Bonnie laughed.

"Yeah, because there's this small thing called graduation that requires I attend a certain number of days and complete all assignments to get this little, tiny piece of paper commending me for my effort," she quirked.

Stefan shrugged. "I could just compel the principal to give you your diploma and we can blow off the rest of the school year and…pass the time doing our own special brand of extracurricular activities."

"Uh-hun, sure," Bonnie mumbled and resumed eating her cereal.

At school the day went by without much fan fair. The halls looked as if there had been an explosion of Pepto Bismol. There were pink and red cut out hearts, balloons, and streamers everywhere. Bonnie had a morbid thought about the halls resembling the inside of Jabba The Hut's stomach.

While she was unloading her books in her locker, Bonnie spotted Jeremy talking to the red-headed girl she saw him with on the day she broke up with him. Well it was clear from the girl's body language that she was feeling Jeremy a lot, whereas Jeremy was walking in the gray area of if he should attempt to talk to her or not. Suddenly Bonnie remembered what Alaric shared with her over Christmas break, about Jeremy and his frequent talks with Anna. She meant to ask Elena if Anna still had a foothold on their side, but it completely slipped her mind.

Besides she had enough problems to fix and dealing with Jeremy's Casper the Friendly ghost ex-girlfriend was the least of her worries.

"Hey, Bon."

Bonnie turned at the sound of the familiar voice. She smiled and leaned in to give Matt a hug. She felt like she hadn't seen him in ages.

"Hey, Matt. How you been?"

"Busy like crazy working on a couple of extra credit assignments to get my average up. I'm still waiting to hear back from UVA's athletic department about that scholarship."

"How could they turn you down? You have the third highest passing average in the region."

Matt grinned and may have blushed. Not many girls kept up with player's stats only who was banging who and who was hot.

"You've been following me?"

Bonnie smiled and closed her locker. "You're my boy of course I keep tabs on you. I know I don't look like I speak jock, but I know a little bit."

Matt chuckled and the two began to head down the hallway. When they walked past Jeremy and his friend, the glacial look he sent her way would have withered her. If Jeremy was still bitter over their break up that was his problem. He tried to murder her boyfriend so that made them even in the hurt department.

Of course this didn't go over Matt's head. "He's still raw about y'alls break up and the fact you're with Stefan."

Bonnie held up a hand. "I know all about that and I don't care. It's been three months, and he needs to move on," she said unsympathetically.

They turned the corner and were now officially in the science wing of the school. Matt looked around covertly. "Ah, Bon I gotta talk to you about something."

Bonnie understood his tone of voice to mean he had to speak with her about something of the supernatural nature. They walked over to a small alcove.

"What's up?" Bonnie folded her arms over her chest.

"I think Jeremy's a little…he told me he can talk to Anna, and has been talking to her a lot, and that's she been helping him deal…with life. But the other day I caught him…I guess talking to her at the Grill, and it sounded like he was trying to talk her out of doing something bad."

"Bad like what?"

Matt shrugged and looked extremely uncomfortable. "Well, when I asked him about it, at first he tried to blow it off, but then he confessed. She told him there's a way for her to come back, but she has to tie up a loose end. I don't know what she meant by that, but she said there's a witch on the other side who can bring her back if she did one little thing."

Bonnie did not like the sound of that. Anna was making a back door deal to come back to their side but she had to tie up a loose end. What loose end? And what would this entail and who would it affect?

Bonnie cleared her throat and hoped to tramp down the goose bumps wanting to crawl over her skin. "Did he say he would help her…crossover?"

"He looked like he hadn't made up his mind because he doesn't know what Anna would have to do in order to comeback. But he does look like he's seriously considering it."

Bonnie looked away. "That idiot," she said under her breath. Matt heard her anyways and agreed. "Okay, if he talks to Anna again, let me know."

"Yeah, but what are you going to do?"

Bonnie nibbled her lips. "I won't know what to do until something happens, unfortunately. I guess this is just another consequence I have to pay for bringing Jeremy back."

Matt wasn't completely heartless and wasn't going to say: "Yeah you should have just let him die", but he was pretty sure anyone making a deal with a ghost no matter how benevolent they might appear just didn't sound like a smart thing to do. Death was invented for a reason.

The bell for class to begin ringed and Bonnie and Matt took off down the hallway to get in their classroom before the door slammed shut.

* * *

**Salvatore Boardinghouse **

**2:45 pm**

Sheila had decided not to use her liter box and pissed on the Persian rug. Damon sighed as he bent down and rolled up the priceless now worthless rug. That cat was gonna end up as fancy feast for the pit bull he had every intention on buying if she kept this crap up.

Something shattered in the living room and Damon sighed again and stomped his way inside to investigate.

There was a broken vase on the ground. Damon looked around expecting to see that smug gray cat glaring at him as if wanting to say "Die muthafucka", but he didn't see hide nor hair of that damn cat.

"Sheila I am going to skin your ass and make a pair of gloves when I find you," Damon threatened and began to pick up the broken pieces of the vase.

When he got to his feet, he felt something move past him at a speed even he couldn't keep up with. Then something akin to a sledgehammer was slammed into his cheek, and Damon went flying. He didn't remember landing because it had been lights out for him.

**3:10 pm**

When Damon woke up he was hog tied to a chair and not just any chair but the chair he ripped Mason Lockwood's heart out in.

There was a burning pain in the middle of his chest. When he looked down he saw the fireplace poker protruding from his body.

_How fitting_, Damon thought sardonically and attempted to wrench his arms free but was unable to do so. Sheila couldn't have done this unless she was a were-cat and shifted into human form. So that left one possible suspect, but Damon hadn't done anything to piss Stefan off, at least he didn't think he had.

"Oh, you gotta to be kidding me," Damon groaned and tried to break the chains again. Nothing moved except the chair which thankfully wasn't bolted to the ground.

Of course while all of this was taking place there was an ominous presence silently observing him with a glare marring his handsome features.

It took a minute for Damon to realize his day-walking ring had been taken off. "Low blow," he muttered.

Approaching footsteps caught his attention and in walked an amused looking Stefan who leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Whatever twisted Ripper game this is, leave me out of it."

Stefan approached his brother and looked him over and saw the poker sticking out the back of the chair. Damon had been stabbed clean through.

"I didn't do this," Stefan chuckled. "That is messed up though." Sobering, Stefan, pulled the poker out of Damon's chest, broke only a single link in the heavy chain around his wrist, and tapped Damon on the shoulder. "Happy Valentine's Day, brother," he said and strolled out of the room.

He was still tied to the chair with wire. "Yeah, not to worry. I'll just untangle myself," Damon grimaced and then, the curtain magically opened, sunlight poured in, and his skin started burning.

* * *

**Gilbert Residence**

**1:50 p.m.**

Today Jeremy decided not to finish out the rest of the school day. What would be the point? He didn't want to walk around and glare at all the couples that seemingly popped up out of nowhere with their smiles and their euphoria with being young and in love. All day he wanted to do nothing more than rip the heads off defenseless stuffed animals, or shred greeting cards with his teeth. No he didn't want a heart shaped sucker, or an Edward Cullen Valentine's Day card telling him how "sweet" he was, and no there was no one special enough on this planet for him to buy a one-dollar carnation for.

This holiday was stupid for obvious reasons, Jeremy grumbled to himself.

He was lying in bed with his hands crossed behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He had the comfort in knowing that Elena would be home and the two of them could compare notes on who had the most miserable day.

This time last year he didn't have a reason to celebrate Valentine's Day and it would seem history was repeating in this regard. Jeremy figured he should consider himself lucky that he didn't catch Stefan and Bonnie making out while exchanging gifts, but seeing her this morning was still painful in its own right.

She didn't give them a chance, his mind blatantly kept reminding him, but he guess he couldn't fight against a hundred and sixty-two years of experience to make any kind of impact on her. The five months they were together Jeremy didn't feel it had been a total waste and he learned things about himself he might not have otherwise discovered. But none of it seemed to matter to Bonnie.

But then…there was Anna. Somehow, someway, he could not only see her, but talk to her, and when he really concentrated he could touch her. Anna said there was a way for her to come back. In order to do so he'd have to perform a spell and essentially invite her back in, but there was a condition to that as well.

And it was the condition which had him worried.

When he and Anna were together things weren't sunshine and rainbows. Jeremy had been in a dark place and Anna fed that darkness but also tried to add a little light. She loved him and he loved her, if he were honest she was probably the only girl he loved, but Jeremy rudely reminded himself she wasn't only a girl either.

There had to be something in the water if everyone he knew and/or associated with could only intensely love vampires.

Which posed the question of how did Bonnie not remain immune to all of this when it was her job to protect the balance, not screw it all up by screwing a vampire?

He should bring Anna back just to throw it in her face and say, ha you aren't the only fangbanger in town.

Not like that was something his parents would be proud of.

"Jeremy."

He should have expected her arrival at the onset of thinking about her, but it still gave him the willies to have Anna "appear" out of thin air lying on his bed next to him.

Jeremy catapulted out of bed and blinked his eyes while Anna merely stared at him like he grew a second head.

"Anna," he said over the roar of his pounding heart.

She offered him a tiny smile and patted the bed as invitation for him to return. Jeremy did so tentatively.

"You were thinking about me," she stated the obvious.

"Yeah, that typically happens when I'm alone."

"And you don't have to be alone, Jeremy. It's Valentine's Day. We never got the chance to celebrate when I was still…undead," she smiled. She reached for his hand and her smile widened when she was able to grab a hold of him. Their fingers immediately intertwined.

"Anna…you don't know how bad I want you to come back…but you won't tell me what you have to do in order to stay."

Uncertainty flashed in her eyes before they became calm and serene again. "It's just a condition and nothing for you to worry about. I don't have much time before the offer is taken off the table. I'm so lonely here, Jeremy. I just wonder around waiting for you to think about me or call me. It's the only way I can communicate."

He was tempted, so tempted to just bring her back and deal with the consequences when they inevitably arrived, but Jeremy couldn't take that risk because of everything else that was going on. Besides, he's watched enough Ghostbusters movies to know that when a door was opened not only one ghost may walk through. It could lead to an invasion of those who simply had chosen not to move on or had unfinished business to walk right through.

"I know what you're thinking, but the witch promised me only I would be able to cross over."

"And you believe her?" Jeremy was skeptical.

Anna nodded her head.

"Anna…look if I do this…will you promise me you're not gonna hurt anyone."

"I promise. I just have a loose end to tie up and then everything will be the way it was before only better. We can have a future." Pause. "I love you, and I want to be with you. You deserve happiness, too, Jeremy. I want to make you happy."

Jeremy was silent for a while. The only time Anna really hurt someone was because she wanted to rescue her mom from the tomb. But still…no good deed went unpunished. But only being able to see her and talk to her when he thought about her wasn't enough and he'd have to spend the rest of his life doing so. And if the offer that was on the table for her to come back was about to expire he might lose even having this much contact with Anna. And he wasn't ready to move on. He needed her.

"All right," he relented and Anna smiled again leaned over and kissed him.

He was flooded with memories, with feelings, with dread and apprehension, but he wanted her back.

When they pulled apart, he ran his fingers through her hair, delighting in the fact he could touch her and that it felt so real.

"What do I have to do?"

* * *

**Town Square**

**4:43 p.m.**

Bonnie couldn't figure out how she was sucked into hanging up lanterns in Town Square for the annual Valentine's Day dinner, but here she was standing on top of a ladder talking to Caroline on what Matt shared with her about Jeremy talking to ghosts.

"You know I have to comment on this," Caroline said as she held the ladder steady for Bonnie as she put up the last paper lantern.

Bonnie climbed down and didn't address Caroline until she was safely back on the ground. It was frigidly cold outside and all she wanted to do was get a cup of hot chocolate and curl up with Stefan.

"There," she said, "you commented."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Jeremy is going to attempt to bring her back because that boy makes stupid decisions like that."

"Yeah, I know. And I guess that leaves it up to me to find a way to stop it. If only I knew what Anna had promised to do for that witch, it would make handling this problem a little easier. And as long as he keeps seeing her, she'll have a foothold."

"Yeah."

Just then the angry roar of an engine caught their attention. They saw Damon speeding towards them with the top down on his convertible despite the temperature. His face was stern, unpleasant, and downright pissed. Something had happened and they were going to get ripped a new one because of it.

Damon stopped the car but didn't put it in park. He wasn't intending this conversation to be long.

"Blondie…Witchy…" he greeted them calmly enough.

Caroline and Bonnie cautiously strolled over to his car.

"I think you got your voodoo wires all crossed when you brought Jeremy back to life."

Bonnie looked perplexed. "What do you mean? Why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure I just got_ spit_ roasted by Mason Lockwood's ghost?"

"What?" Bonnie was surprised.

"Why would you think that?" Caroline asked.

"Because he chained me to a chair and shoved a hot poker up my chest. Let's just say I'm having déjà vu."

The girls began to bicker back and forth and Damon so wasn't in the mood for their shit.

"Look," he said sharply interrupting their ra-ra moment, "I don't have time for vengeful Lockwood. When I kill someone I want them to stay dead," he looked pointedly at Bonnie. "Whatever you screwed up…fix it."

And with that salutation he peeled off down the road.

"I wish I was there to see it," Caroline giggled. "That would have gone up as my profile pic on Facebook."

"You need therapy, Caroline," Bonnie teased as she bent down to retrieve her purse. Instead it flipped open spilling her grimoire and lip gloss on the sidewalk. Moaning, she reached for her grimoire but it magically opened to a specific page.

Caroline who witnessed this asked, "Did your…?"

"Yeah," Bonnie interrupted. She looked over the words scribbled on the ancient paper. "It's a manifestation spell for uncovering veiled matter."

Caroline didn't speak witch. "Veiled matter?"

Bonnie looked over to her. "Ghosts."

**5:15 p.m.**

"Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm am such a fuck up. Elena's gonna kill me. Alaric's gonna kill me. Everyone in this town is gonna kill me when they find out what I've done."

Jeremy pressed his foot harder on the gas as he sped through town looking for his sister. Elena had mentioned something about volunteering downtown for the Valentine's Day dinner. He wasn't sure if she was still at the community center decorating, but he had tried calling her cell and it kept going straight to voicemail. Oh, he wouldn't be all flustered about bringing Anna back no matter how temporary it was, but the fact she cold cocked him and disappeared, leaving him in a pool of his own blood pretty much let him know she played him.

Why she would do such a thing, he had no answer for, but he just knew with every fiber of his being that he needed to find Elena and fast because he had the sneaking suspicion that this unfinished business involved her.

He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw her walking with Alaric out of the community center. He double parked his car and ran across the grassy knoll to reach them.

Elena's eyes widened when she saw the blood dripping from his head. "Jeremy what happened?"

"It's Anna."

Alaric and Elena, "WHAT?"

"Look I-I-I messed up. I did a spell to bring her back…"

Alaric swore loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need a drink," he said and walked off. Elena and Jeremy watched him shuffle in the direction of the Grill.

Jeremy continued. "And she cold cocked me and disappeared. I have no idea what's going on."

"Well you need to call her or poof her into existence or whatever it is you do to get her attention. Jeremy do you have any idea how dangerous it is to do a spell without knowing the consequences, and what could have happened," she looked at his bleeding head. "What can happen when you mess with stuff you don't understand? I can't deal with this right now."

Elena attempted to walk away but Jeremy grabbed her by the arm detaining her. "Elena you might be in danger."

"What else is new," she said flippantly. "Did she tell you that?"

He shook his head ignoring the pounding coming from his temple. "All she said was that she needed to tie up a loose end for a witch in order to stay. And I can only think of one loose end." He stared pointedly at her.

Elena snorted and felt like her brain was about to explode. Things had been semi-calm for so long she thought that life in general was getting back to the way it used to be. Wrong. The drama never ends.

"Did she give you any hints or clues about what she'd have to do?"

"No."

"Well, this conversation has turned into a complete and total waste of time. I'm going to go drag Alaric from the bar, and you need to get your head examined. If Anna pops up, please let her know I'd like to have a word with her."

"Elena I don't think you should be alone."

"And I'm not going to be alone. I'll be with Alaric. Get to the hospital, Jeremy. Matter of fact, give me the keys to your car and I'll drive you myself. You might have a concussion."

Just as they turned around to head back to Jeremy's Mini Cooper it was being towed away.

Elena sighed. "Well, looks like I'm going to have to borrow Alaric's truck. Wait right here. I'll be back."

* * *

**Old Mansion**

Caroline wasn't a scaredy cat by nature. She only turned into one when she watched gore filled horror movies, and clowns she absolutely hated clowns, but none of that could compare to the feeling she got as she followed Bonnie down the dilapidated stairs of the old witch burning site.

The inside had the charm of the Addams Family estate with the warmth of the Bates Hotel. She had heard what happened to Damon when he first walked through the door. That his motor functions were frozen as he was trapped in a prism of sunlight, his day-walking ring ceased to work, and his flesh started roasting. Caroline was glad that the sun had officially set half an hour ago so there was no danger of her spontaneously combusting, but still she didn't like being here.

Bonnie set up shop and did her thing as Caroline took in the surroundings. She wasn't sure what was going to happen but what did happen surprised the hell out of her.

Someone had grabbed a hold of Bonnie's outstretched hands. When her eyes flew open she wanted to scream but instead blinked several times to make certain that what she was seeing wasn't a figment of her imagination but was real.

"Grams?" tears burst forth from her ducts and she couldn't stop crying. "I can't believe you're really here."

Grams looked the same as the day Bonnie walked into her bedroom and found her dead. Now that was a memory she didn't like visiting, but from the smile on her grandmother's face Bonnie was comforted by the knowledge she had found peace.

"Now stop all that crying," Miss Sheila admonished. "We have business to take care of. When you brought Jeremy back you opened a door, a door to the other side to anyone with unfinished business to walk through. You upset the balance and it's your duty to make it right. The original witch has used you to gain power to her talisman. It needs to be destroyed to close the door."

Bonnie sucked up her tears and put her game face on. Caroline hopped on the phone to ask Elena where her necklace was.

"Damon has it somewhere," Elena said as she walked towards the emergency room doors with Jeremy in tow. "Text him. Right now I'm at the hospital with Jeremy."

"What happened now?" Caroline asked exasperatedly.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Jeremy invited Anna over and she attempted to crack his head open so she could run an errand for a witch."

"That seems to be happening a lot because Damon was tied up S&M style by Mason Lockwood's ghost."

"What? Mason attacked Damon?"

"Yep, this is why we need the necklace. Once it's destroyed the ghosts will get sucked back up in it and the door to the other side will close."

"Is he all right?" Elena felt panicky for a second.

"He's fine."

"Look I can't use my cell phone in the hospital so I'll call you when we're done. Or text me to let know Bonnie was able to destroy the talisman."

"All right."

The two girls hung up. Jeremy who only heard Elena's side of the conversation gently touched her by the elbow to get her stop walking.

"Bonnie needs your necklace to close the door?"

Elena nodded her head. "I know how much you wanted Anna to come back for good, but she's proven she can't be trusted. And if she's come back and Mason has too I don't want to think about who else might be wondering around out there looking for revenge. I'm sorry, Jer, but she can't stay here."

* * *

Strolling through Town Square to meet up with Bonnie, Stefan had walked past a parked SUV and caught a reflection in the window. There was something familiar about the person he saw, and at first he ignored it but then stopped suddenly because the woman staring at him curiously reminded him of his best friend.

Stefan spun around and came face-to-face with…

"Lexi?" he jumped back. "You're dead."

"Not anymore."

"How is this possible?" his eyes looked her up and down unbelieving she was standing right in front of him.

Lexi shrugged a shoulder. "I haven't figured that part out yet, but I see you're up to your old ripper tricks again and I feel it's my duty to bring you back."

"I don't need or want your help," he attempted to walk away, but Lexi grabbed him by the arm. He stared down at her touching him.

"You say that every time," she reminded him with an edge in her tone, and then began to mock his voice. "I don't need saving, I don't want your help, leave me alone."

"Then you should listen to me," Stefan hissed.

"Or I could just do this."

She slammed his head into the window of the SUV and watched unsympathetically as he fell to the ground unconscious.

Lexi looked around with an eyebrow raised in the air.

* * *

"Oh, man I miss whiskey," Mason Lockwood said as he picked up Damon's drink and threw it back.

Alaric and Damon merely sat there and watched him with stupefied expressions on their faces. And then the next thing Damon knew, the shot glass was being rammed into his forehead.

"Ow," he complained and turned "I told you so" eyes to Alaric who didn't believe him when he told him about Mason Lockwood coming back to torture him. "See, I told you," he said petulantly.

Damon turned to face Mason who was looking more than smug. "So what do you want? Revenge?"

The sandy-haired man shook his head. "No. I want an apology."

Alaric chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah, good luck with that," he mumbled and tossed back his shot of whiskey.

"How bout you just torture me instead," Damon suggested. "If not, tell me what you want or find Whoopi Goldberg and Demi Moore and have them ghost your ass away."

"There's more to life than seeking revenge, Damon. I'm here to help Tyler."

Damon snorted. "You must have missed the short yellow bus because Tyler can't be helped. There's no weapon to kill Klaus."

Mason gave him a look which caused Damon's eyebrow to hike. "What if I told you there was?"

Damon could only blink.

"My apology," Mason reiterated.

Yeah, right, Damon thought and wondered how he could skirt around this. He didn't apologize to anyone. "Look, sometimes I do things I don't have to do." And the look he tossed Mason's way loosely translated into "There are you happy? Because that's all you're gonna get".

Rick and Mason stared at each other. After a moment Mason laughed.

"Meet me at the old Lockwood cellar," Mason rose from the stool. "Bring a shovel." He flicked his eyes briefly to Alaric. "Come alone."

"You gonna bury me there?" Damon asked after Mason began to walk away.

The dead werewolf swung back around. "Don't tempt me."

* * *

Well Bonnie learned more things about Damon than she cared to know by snooping through his room looking for Elena's necklace.

Caroline was rummaging around in his soap dish only to come up empty. She growled. "It's not here!"

"Well it has to be somewhere," Bonnie said.

Caroline thought for a minute. "Or maybe someone took it."

The two girls looked at one another. "Anna," they said in unison.

* * *

It was nightfall by the time Elena and Jeremy strolled out of the emergency room. In all, he needed ten stitches to close the gash on his head. Armed with two prescriptions for pain killers, he was more than ready to go home and lick his wounds with his tail tucked between his legs.

"I'm going to go get the car," Elena said to Jeremy who sat down on the outside bench. He was a little high from the morphine they gave him for the pain.

He was seated by himself wondering about the new mess he made when he felt a presence beside him. Of course it would be Anna trying her best to look repentant. Jeremy rolled his eyes and sat up a little straighter despite his body feeling disproportionate.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Jeremy I'm so sorry," she eyed his bandaged head.

Jeremy snorted. "Yeah, right. You can cut the bullshit right now, Anna and be real with me. What do you have to do for that witch?"

"I explained that to you."

"You didn't tell me shit!"

"It's almost over."

He looked at her coldly. "Yeah, you're right about that because as soon as Bonnie and Caroline find that witch's talisman and destroy it you'll be gone."

Anna didn't look alarmed. Not in the least and this Jeremy realized should have worried him.

"They won't find it."

"How do you know?"

She held up the necklace and then like the wind she was gone.

Jeremy shot up from the bench screaming her name and then realized that Elena should have pulled around the front entrance of the hospital by now.

"Elena!" he yelled and ran to the parking lot despite feeling dizzy and nauseous. He spotted Elena struggling to get out of the truck while a line of fire was headed straight towards it.

"NO!" Jeremy yelled and ran towards Alaric's truck. He attempted to open the door but it wouldn't unlock.

"Jeremy I can't get out!" Elena's face was ashen and frightened.

The boy looked around frantically for anything to break the window before the truck was engulfed in flames. Luckily he spotted a rock about the size of a football and shattered the back windshield with it. Elena hastily climbed out and the two ran as far from the car as they could and not a minute later it exploded.

They went tumbling the ground.

Peeling themselves off the pavement, the brother sister pair looked at one another.

Anna stood some distance away staring at them. Jeremy slowly rose to his feet and winced. He might have popped a stitch already.

"So tying up your loose end was killing Elena?" he accused.

"Her blood is the key to making more hybrids; with her dead it stops all of that. It's what the witch has been trying to prevent from the get go."

"And you agreed to it. Anna, that's not you."

"You don't know what it's like, Jeremy. To wonder around being alone…"

"I _do_ know what that's like, Anna, but I'm not going to agree to become a murderer in order to get my life back. I'm sorry you're dead and alone, but taking my sister from me, I never would have forgiven you for that, and I can't _love_ someone who would do that to me."

Anna sobbed and looked down at the necklace. "I don't want to be alone."

"Then find your mother, Anna," Elena interjected. "If you've come back she might be out there somewhere. But you need to let Jeremy go. He can't love a ghost for the rest of his life."

The blare of the fire truck was drawing closer.

"Give him the necklace, Anna," Elena ordered and walked away.

* * *

**Mystic Falls Jail**

His head felt foggy as if he drank too much or got the snot punched out of him. Knowing it was the latter, Stefan slowly became lucid and looked around his dismal surroundings. Movement to his left caught his attention and he saw Lexi holding up the wall, arms crossed over her chest, staring at him. He attempted to move only to find out he was chained to a chair.

Stefan laughed humorlessly as Lexi moved out of the shadows and stepped into the lone light coming into the room. Her blonde hair glowed milk-white and her dark brown eyes nearly looked obsidian.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," she kicked the chair which earned her a scowl from its occupant.

"Cute. Are you done with your Dungeons and Dragons fantasy? Unchain me, wench."

Lexi leaned down until she was eye level with Stefan. "I missed you, too pumpkin, but no I can't unchain you. Not until I fix you."

He scoffed. "You've wasted your whole life taking care of me, and you're dead and you still have nothing better to do."

"Because you are my life, Stefan," Lexi replied sarcastically. "And when you make a mess I'm the one who has to clean it up."

"I don't need you. I have Bonnie."

"Right, Bonnie. Great girl. But…does she know you've been binging?"

Guilty.

Lexi tsked. "I didn't think so and I'm sure that when and not if she finds out you will know exactly what your brain looks like. Now cooperate please and this will go a lot smoother for the both of us."

Stefan squirmed around in the chair. How ironic he would end up in the same position as Damon.

"The first step is to burn away the hunger. Dry you out. Take away the temptation."

He did not like that feral look in her eye as she gazed into his. Stefan began to squirm in tandem. "What are you doing?"

"What I do best," she said.

His throat immediately went dry and felt like sandpaper. His stomach cramped violently to the point he figured he had the strength to rip the chains apart and free himself. All he could think about was getting blood, blood, and more blood and never stop drinking.

"Lexi STOP!"

She only continued the onslaught of her hallucination.

When Stefan looked down at his right arm it was gray, vein-lined, and desiccated. He roared against the pain of the hunger.

"That's two months without blood." Lexi stood up and began to pace around the chair. "Six months." She did another revolution as Stefan squirmed and roared with hunger, thirst, and pain. "Two years."

"Lexi," he growled like a wild animal.

"Five years."

Out of nowhere she produced a stake and stabbed him in the shoulder with it. Tears rolled down his cheeks as his mouth hung open in disbelief.

"You're going to feel again, Stefan. If it's the last thing I do."

"I do feel..." he sobbed past the pain of the thirst."I love Bonnie."

Lexi cocked her head to the side contemplating his words. "But you love blood more, Stefan. And at the heart of everything that's been your biggest problem and your greatest downfall. As much as you may love each other, it'll never be enough to get you to stop hunting humans, from drinking their blood."

He coughed. "That's not true."

"What did you do last week?"

Stefan couldn't answer her question. Last week while Bonnie was asleep he slipped out of the boardinghouse and nearly drained three people.

"Bonnie deserves to be with someone who's going to put her first, and above all that be honest with her. I don't think you're completely capable of doing that in the condition you're in."

"I'll change," he cried and felt his insides shrinking like a prune.

"I'm sure you will with time, my love, but for right now...you need to hit rock bottom before you lose everything." And with that Lexi stabbed him again.

This continued for what felt like hours to Stefan.

Just as she was about to deliver yet another blow she felt the air shift. The door was closing and she was being sucked back in. She needed more time with Stefan because she had him right where he needed to be.

She studied him for a moment, bleeding, broken, and listless. Having pity she broke the chain that held his left wrist captive, but that's all she'd do for him.

"Fight for your humanity, Stefan, because if you hope to have a future with Bonnie you're going to need it for what's coming next."

Before he had the chance to ask her to explain what she meant by that, she disappeared.

Woodenly Stefan broke the rest of the chains and slowly rose to his feet. As much as he wanted to feed, there was a much larger part of him that simply wanted to crawl into a hole. Lexi was right as she always is. If Bonnie found out about his late-night activities she would be more than displeased, he envisioned her kicking his tail left from right. And Lexi was also right about him loving blood, but he didn't love it more than Bonnie.

Did he?

* * *

**Hours later...**

All Bonnie wanted to remember about this Valentine's Day was waking up to find Stefan dressed like a Chippendale's stripper and hearing her Grams tell her she was stronger than all of this and that she was proud of her. Stripping out of her cobweb infested clothes, showering, and dressing for bed, Bonnie fell face flat on her mattress.

As much as she wanted her mind to go blank it refused. Anna had attempted to turn Rick's truck into a brick oven and cook Elena like a deep dish pizza. Lexi showed up out of the woodwork and tried to torture the ripper out of Stefan. Mason led Damon into a cave that had the history of the Original family immortalized on the walls. And Caroline had to whoop ass and take names of the tomb vampires who were set on getting revenge on members of the founding families.

See, nothing but a regular Tuesday night in Mystic Falls.

Her cell phone chirped. Bonnie groaned as she leaned over to her night table and picked it up. Stefan was calling.

"Hi, baby," he said. "Caroline told me she dropped you off at your house."

"Yeah. I'm emotionally, and physically exhausted. How are you holding up after Lexi's hazing?"

He chuckled dryly. "I've been put through worse," which was an unfortunate statement of fact. "I'll be over there in a little bit. The Scooby-Doo gang has assembled to formulate the next plan to stopping evil."

Bonnie wanted to laugh but didn't have the heart to go through the motions. It was a struggle for her to stay awake right now and it was barely ten o'clock.

"I can't promise you I'll be awake when you do make your way over here," Bonnie yawned into the phone.

"Go ahead and go to sleep, and when you wake up I'll be there."

"Okay," her eyes were falling.

Stefan chuckled because he knew in about five seconds Bonnie would be out like a light. "Did you remember to lock the door and set the alarm?"

"Yes," she yawned again. "I'm safe."

"I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

Bonnie blindly pressed the end button on her cell phone and dropped it. As she turned over again she felt the love knot necklace Stefan gave her choking her. Grumbling, Bonnie sat up and unclasped the necklace. She gingerly placed it on the night table and she was snoring loudly before her head hit the pillow.

Sometime later Bonnie's eyes spontaneously opened. She wasn't sure how long she might have been asleep, but she knew someone was in her room. Bonnie stared up the figure looming over her.

"Stefan?" she asked hoarsely.

The man didn't respond and as her vision began to clear Bonnie knew without a doubt that this man wasn't Stefan.

She was wide awake then and attempted to scramble out of bed, but hands reached and grabbed for her…

To be continued…

**A/N: Thank you guys for reading! Love you!**


	22. Taken

**A/N: Happy Labor Day! This chapter is kind of long. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

Previously...

_Sometime later Bonnie's eyes spontaneously opened. She wasn't sure how long she might have been asleep, but she knew someone was in her room. Bonnie stared up the figure looming over her._

_"Stefan?" she asked hoarsely._

_The man didn't respond and as her vision began to clear Bonnie knew without a doubt that this man wasn't Stefan._

_She was wide awake then and attempted to scramble out of bed, but hands reached and grabbed for her…_

He wrenched one arm around her waist and began to tug backwards but Bonnie was having none of that. She thrust her leg out and was glad when her foot made contact with the intruder's face. She wasn't sure if the blow was enough to shove his nose into his brain, but the man's grip disappeared and he stumbled backwards and moaned loudly.

Bonnie threw herself over to the other side of the bed, reaching for the shotgun she kept hidden under her bed. When she managed to get to her feet, she aimed the gun right at the man's heart and pulled the trigger…

**Bonnie's POV**

You have to survive this Bonnie and you want to know why because too many people depend on you to live. There's no point in dissolving into tears and asking useless questions because you know why he's here maybe not the entire reason but you know what his intentions are. He's wanted you for a while. He's watched you. He may know you better than you know yourself, but there's something on your side that he might not know about. Use that to your advantage and above all stay alive.

I wasn't as fast as Stefan, or as strong as Caroline, or as sneaky as Damon, but I lunged across the bed for the loaded shotgun. My shoulder took the brunt of my fall and it hurt like hell, but I ignored it. My hands clamored under the bed. When I felt that cold metal graze my fingers, I clasped it as tightly as I could and pulled it from beneath the bed.

Move to your feet, Bonnie, I ordered myself swallowing spit, nerves, and tramping down the rising bile in my stomach. The room was pitch-black but my eyes had adjusted enough to where I could make out the shape of the man. He was dressed in head-to-toe black with a ski mask and I couldn't see his eyes. His physique told me nothing of his identity because there were hundreds of men who would fit his physical description. But none of that would matter in the end because I was two seconds from blowing his chest to smithereens.

Inwardly I wanted to recoil from what I was about to do. I had grown up my whole life being taught to have a certain reverence for life and here I was about to take a life.

But, it was either me or him and I chose him and that was the rule of the jungle, survival of the fittest and all that other stuff.

I pulled the trigger and waited to hearing the deafening boom of the shotgun going off but…nothing happened.

Oh, no.

Two objects crashed to the ground and to my horror that's when I realized he had emptied out the shotgun which meant he had been waiting for me in my house.

He may have taken away my element of surprise but I was still armed. So I grabbed the shotgun by the barrel and swung it like it was a baseball bat.

He ducked and all I ended up doing was knocking a shelf off my wall. There was only one thing left to do, get out, but unfortunately standing between me and the door was my alleged kidnapper.

For two seconds I hesitated but then channeled my own special brand of power and threw it at the man imagining it as a sledgehammer. He recoiled backwards and smashed into the wall. He groaned and cursed and that's when I made my move to get out. I jumped over the bed, landed and had made it as far as stepping a foot into the hallway when his hand clamped around my ankle and wrenched me backwards.

"Shit," I cursed and was propelled forward. My chin broke my fall this time. My top teeth bit clean through my bottom lip and blood flowed. Stars and bright lights danced behind my lids. And then to my horror, an unwelcomed body was lying on top of me.

Gloved hands circled my neck and tightened. I got my hands up and wrenched that stupid ski mask off. Then I clutched his hair and pulled. He roared in pain but was too determined to kill me to loosen his grip.

When I pulled out enough of his hair I sprinkled that shit all over the floor so whoever came to investigate my disappearance would be able to collect it for DNA evidence. Then, I jabbed my fingernails into his face and dug trenches.

Then I punched him with as much strength as I had left.

My heart was being fueled off adrenaline fumes and I was growing tired and sloppy, but I kicked myself out from under him and finally raced out of my bedroom.

But he was behind me chasing me like a wolf and threw himself at my back. We went tumbling down the stairs. My head, ankles, and knees connected with the sharp molding, cutting into my skin.

Aneurysm, Bonnie, give him an aneurysm and this will all be over. I concentrated, tried to wheeze past the pain burning in my lungs to focus, but he was on top of me again and I felt the stick of a syringe sink into my neck.

"No…." I couldn't feel my legs, my hands, or hear myself think. I was fading and fading fast…

**Stalker's POV**

_She put up a much bigger fight than I had anticipated. But I was still able to subdue her, show her that as strong as she may have believed herself to be that she was no match for me. It was dark but I could make out enough of her features to see how truly alluring she was while under the hypnotic pull of illegally purchased drugs._

_I had to move fast because we might have made enough noise to wake her neighbors. I opened the front door and checked both ends of the street for traffic. Given the time I knew it wouldn't be long before the Salvatore brat showed up to interrupt her sleep to violate her. _

_I immediately switched my thoughts because I just might gut her right now and let Stefan discover he wasn't the only one capable of mutilating her. But I had plans for Bonnie and they were contingent upon us not being discovered while I transported her body._

_Something small shot through my legs and ran out the front door. The cat. Well, it wasn't like it could talk and tell anyone what happened. With any luck someone might run it over. I couldn't suppress my grin. _

_The street was clear so I went back inside, pulled out the tarp I had hidden when I broke into her house, and wrapped Bonnie in it. Carefully lifting her, I walked the short distance to my car, put her in the trunk, and slowly pulled out of the driveway; didn't want to make too much noise because then someone would have remembered hearing a car peeling off into the night._

_And after tonight no one would see Bonnie Bennett ever again._

* * *

Sheila was more than a house cat. When Stefan adopted her he gave her a very specific duty: watch over Bonnie at all times. Until now, nothing more than glaring at Damon to maintain his distance had been required of her and she was fine with that. Besides it gave her a little purr of satisfaction to know that something as formidable as a vampire would wither under her scrutiny, but now as Sheila ran her way back to the boardinghouse all she could think about was warning Stefan.

Stefan was in a pisser of a mood. Lexi's detox program had done the exact opposite. He had been able to control his cravings and lust for human blood because he didn't want to be a monster because of Bonnie, but now…Lexi got a little too deep in his head with that hallucination and Stefan felt like he was drying out even after helping himself to five bags of blood. He was starving.

He was currently sitting on the arm of one of the leather couches in the main living room, half listening to everyone compare I-almost-died-today notes. He learned that Damon repeatedly got impaled as he traversed the Lockwood caves in the hopes of discovering a way to kill Klaus. Elena nearly found out what it felt like to be a popcorn kernel placed in a microwave. Caroline flexed her inner Wonder Woman muscle and battled the tomb vampires to keep them from turning Carol Lockwood into kibbles and bits.

And the reason why all of this happened in the first place constantly kept picking at the gauze bandage on his head. The loser Jeremy, Stefan thought sardonically.

Oh, but people weren't the only ones who suffered tonight. Alaric had to bury his car in the city compound. Rest in peace GMC Yukon.

The hour was late and Stefan was getting anxious to get to Bonnie; but there was the matter of figuring out the meaning of the wonderful diagram that was Etch-a-Sketched on the cavern wall depicting the Original family history. Whether it was real or not would have to be authenticated and that's where Alaric would come in.

"We're going to need to take samples and pictures," Rick was in the middle of saving. "And since you vampires can't enter that part of the cave I guess that leaves it up to me, Bonnie, and Elena to catalog and identify the hieroglyphics."

Jeremy looked affronted that he was omitted from the list of trustees. "What about me?" he asked.

Several pairs of eyes looked at him drolly and ignored his question. It went without saying he hadn't shown clear judgment as of late and couldn't be trusted with so important a task.

"Yeah, and lets add to the list on how to explain why the Original witch's talisman came back after Bonnie and her Grams destroyed it," Caroline said.

There were moans and groans all around.

"I guess Original jewelry can't be killed either," Damon quipped.

Caroline who was standing closest to the front door heard scratching and whining. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she marched to the front door, opened it, and a blur of fur raced inside.

Sheila purposely made her way to Stefan. She hopped up on the coffee table and looked him right in the eye.

"Isn't that Bonnie's cat?" Caroline asked the obvious and that's when all hell broke loose.

There were advantages to being a vampire which meant you could move faster than the speed of thought and almost pull off being in two places at once. Some might not think Stefan was wise or all that smart because it took him a day or two to figure something out that Damon could break down and decipher in an hour, but he was adapt at reading signals and knowing when danger was coming.

Therefore, he was already in route to Bonnie's on foot before everyone else caught on that something was seriously wrong.

Sheila would never run off without Bonnie, and when they were together they were mostly glued at the hip with Sheila following her mistress everywhere. And there was something about Sheila's eyes which told Stefan he needed to move his ass to Bonnie's and do so in a lickety split.

He wasn't too surprised that Damon arrived only thirty seconds after he did. The both of them stood outside the Bennett residence—listening. They could detect no movement and the sound of her heartbeat was absent.

Saliva began to pool in the bottom of Stefan's jaw. As much as he did and did not want to go inside to have his greatest fear either confirmed or denied, he had a job to do.

Wordlessly the brothers walked up the steps to her porch and, twisting the doorknob the front door swung open.

He didn't need to flick on a light to see the destruction of her living room, but he switched it on anyways.

The banister was broken, a table had been knocked over but otherwise remained intact, and there were several drops of blood on the hardwood floors.

A furious tick began to hammer in his jaw as he took the stairs two at a time and entered Bonnie's room.

Downstairs he could hear that the rest of the cavalry had arrived but he blocked out the sound of their outraged voices and focused on his sweetheart's demolished room. The sheets and comforter had been kicked away but as he looked closely there were rips in her sheets as if Bonnie had clung on to them for dear life while her assailant attempted to drag her out of bed. The shotgun was on the floor, but two bullets were beside it.

A shelf had been knocked clean off the wall. There was more blood, and when he turned around he saw a noticeable dent to the right of the light switch.

Bonnie had put up a fight.

Damon stood just under the threshold as his eyes did a revolution around the room. When he processed the information he looked at his younger brother patiently.

Stefan didn't disappoint.

He cursed in Italian and planted his fist clean through the wall the force of it strong enough to topple over picture frames and shake the mortar loose.

"We're going to get her back," Damon said calmly. He didn't have much of a choice to be the calm one because Stefan's eyes shifted to red, his fangs extended, and he was breathing rapidly.

Elena and Caroline finally got over their shock and found their way upstairs where they were surprised once again. The two of them looked at each other with horror filled eyes before looking at Damon and Stefan.

"Who took her?" Caroline realized this was an irrational question to ask because if the brothers knew that, they'd be on their way to tracking that person down.

Stefan only ignored her for his mind was nothing more than a haze of jamming his fangs into the carotid artery of the next person who looked at him funny and subsequently ripping that person limb from limb.

"Did she have the tracking device on her?" Damon asked his brother.

Stefan stopped his manic pacing and looked relieved for a moment. But again luck would not be on their side because he spotted the Algerian love knot necklace lying innocently on her night table. He picked it up and examined the individual links; one of them had been outfitted with a small GPS device. At first Stefan thought Damon was mental for suggesting that they tag Bonnie like she was a dog, but as Damon explained to him the benefits of bugging her with a tracking device in the event they found themselves in this situation, it would make finding her a whole lot easier.

He had given it to her only this morning, and he meant to make Bonnie promise never to take it off because he knew how she was about promises, but as usual he got distracted just by being with her and it slipped his mind.

Here she was thinking he was just being sweet and generous when really he was trying to keep her safe.

Stefan frowned for a moment as he brought the necklace up to his nostrils to inhale to see if it might be peppered with her scent. He smelled nothing but cold metal. His frown deepened to a sneer and his anger got the better of him and he tore it apart.

Damon closed his eyes in disappointment. He gritted his teeth.

Elena, confused, was in desperate need of clarification. "You planted a tracking device on Bonnie?" her eyes looked between the brothers.

"That had been the plan when I suggested it to Stefan," Damon answered. "But as you can see…" his hands waved toward the scattered links on the floor.

Caroline tossed up her hands. So their only lead to Bonnie turned out to be a dud.

"I hate to say this guys," Alaric said while he remained out in the hallway. "But we're going to have to bring the sheriff in on this."

"What? My mom can't find out about this because she'll tell Bonnie's father and the media will get involved and if whoever took her is supernatural this could end badly for several people in this room, including Bonnie."

"We don't have a choice, Caroline. We have no idea who took Bonnie and no way of finding that out since the only person who is capable of doing a locator spell is missing."

"I…" Stefan started to say and then disappeared from the room. Damon went after him.

* * *

When Bonnie groggily became lucid she had no idea if it was day or night, if an hour or a week passed or if she were in Virginia or Texas. As she blinked her eyes to clear her vision, her surroundings were not familiar.

Her body felt weird like she was filled with too much water and was being held down by concrete blocks. Gradually the feeling began to return to her limbs but her wrists and her ankles were pounding. Bonnie forced her head off the flat surface she was lying on. Something was scratching her tongue and slightly gagging her.

Great, I'm bound and gagged to a bed. Could this be anymore Silence of the Lambs, were the thoughts traipsing through her foggy mind.

The room she was in was dimly lit. Bonnie couldn't make out much other than the walls which were covered with some kind of collage. Tears lined the bottom of her eyes and began to spill from the corners.

No, get yourself together Bonnie admonished herself. She could cry the moment she broke out of this twisted prison if only she could free herself and avoid the one who kidnapped her.

She thought of her attacker, who he might be and what he had in store for her. Bonnie had watched her fair share of Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SUV episodes to know this could play out one of two ways. By the end of this one of them would be a statistic.

Bonnie squirmed against the bed to ascertain if she could free herself. The kidnapper didn't use handcuffs or rope or silk scarves to tie her to the bed. He had used plastic zip ties which were next to impossible to get out of without the use of a knife or box cutter.

_Maybe I can burn them off but I run the risk of setting this whole room on fire not to mention burning my own skin in the process._

Just as she was considering doing it anyways, the door to the room crept open and Bonnie stilled. She shut her eyes to half mast to give off the impression of being unconscious but left them open enough for her to see the kidnapper's every move.

He was humming something as he walked into the room carrying an old oil lamp. The house must not have electricity, she wondered. The lamp may be essential in helping her escape so she watched to find out where he put it.

The man loomed in the center of the room and Bonnie wanted to turn away because she knew with absolute certainty that he was staring at her intently.

Her heart began to race in her chest. She had to get herself under control because if he was a vampire or a werewolf he'd know she was faking her unconsciousness by the rapid beating of her heart.

After a minute or two the man sat the oil lamp down on a desk that was adjacent to the bed. He approached Bonnie, and loomed over her.

She tried her best not to have any type of repulsive reaction and had to force herself to remain absolutely still when he ran a cold hand down her face to push a strand of hair behind her ear.

Bonnie felt dizzy at his touch.

"She is mine and you're never going to get her back," he said but his voice sounded distorted as if he were speaking into a device that altered the sound of his voice.

He shifted something in his hands more than likely it was a video camera. "We're the ones who belong together. My blood is her blood and her blood is my blood isn't that what you said, Stefan." The demented man chuckled. "Well…her life will be my life and there won't be anything you can do to stop it."

All the blood in Bonnie's body went cold.

The kidnapper shut off the recording and ejected the memory card from the camera. Turning back to the table he carefully inserted the card into a pre-addressed envelope.

Bonnie was sick of this. She wanted to know who had her and who had her now!

So she groaned and squirmed against the bed.

This instantly captured the kidnapper's attention. He approached the bed and again touched her face.

Bonnie jerked her head away and snapped her eyes open. The person staring down at her floored her. She never would have guessed.

_Tobias Fell…head of the history department at Mystic Falls High, Alaric's boss. A member of one of the founding families. A supposed straight and narrow kind of guy. He's the psycho? He's her stalker? This wasn't computing. _

"I know you must be surprised to see me," he said no longer speaking into the voice distorting device. "But you must have known that you captured my special attention after the first year I taught you Virginia's history. The way your eyes followed me, drinking in everything I said. And you used to confide in me until…you no longer felt I was useful."

Bonnie couldn't respond back to the fantasy he envisioned in his mind of the two of them sharing some deep connection because of the gag. And if she could what would she have said anyways?

"I was someone you looked up to and then I became nothing more than a footnote in your life," Tobias rose from the bed and began to pace the room. "And as the years passed, you became more and more distant only speaking if you saw me in the halls. You stopped coming to my office altogether. And then…it was like I fell off your radar when Stefan came, when Alaric showed up. Now he's your new favorite teacher, the one you sought out for guidance," his voice began to escalate.

"But I had invested too much time into keeping watch over you, Bonnie that I couldn't let you go. You weren't involved with anyone and I figured I still had a shot, but then you got together with the Gilbert boy and I never really took him as a threat. And I couldn't tell you how relieved I was when you ended things. I heard your conversation when you broke up with him, but…you broke my heart when you fell madly in love with Stefan."

Tobias abruptly returned to the bed, kneeling on the floor, his face so close to Bonnie she had to turn her head away.

"I watched night after night as he repeatedly forced you to do acts only a _whore _would do. That putrid boy violated you, made you suck his cock, made you scream his name…" Tobias touched her face again but his hand was shaking yet Bonnie didn't know if it was out of rage or fear. "And as sick and disgusted as I was to see you being used that way, I fantasized that I was the one who was making you respond that way. You don't know how often I touched myself thinking about you…"

Bonnie's eyes rolled and her stomach bubbled. She was going to throw up.

Tobias tightened his hand on her jaw and forced Bonnie to look at him. "Well…it's my turn now. I don't have to fantasize or guess anymore. I can feel you for myself."

Bonnie thrust her head forward and slammed it into Tobias' nose. He roared back in pain, his hand immediately grabbing his bleeding nose.

"Graw to hellll," Bonnie mumbled through the gag.

Fury was clearly written on Tobias' face and he lashed out and backhanded Bonnie. The blow wasn't enough to knock her unconscious but she did feel like there were marbles rolling around in her head as a result.

"No one knows where you are or who has you for that matter, Bonnie. You are completely at my mercy and you had better remember that."

Tobias then stomped from the room.

* * *

When Stefan took off the minute Sheila arrived it may have taken a moment or two for Damon to realize something was horribly wrong. He couldn't stand that cat and was grateful Bonnie took it with her every time she returned home, and after the day he suffered if he came face to face with that horrendous animal he probably would have stomped it to death.

Now all he wanted to do was kiss it. Sheila had proven to be far more valuable than several humans he was forced to associate with. Without waiting to be told what was going on, Damon set off on foot after Stefan who was long gone by the time he got his ass in gear.

Not so surprisingly he ended up outside of Bonnie's house. Stefan stood on the sidewalk just staring at the house, and Damon was tempted to ask him what was up, but instead he listened.

There was no sound of movement; he couldn't detect her heartbeat. The house was eerily silent.

And when you summed that up it only came to one conclusion: Bonnie had been kidnapped.

Stefan entered the house first; Damon followed keeping his mouth shut for once because mentally he was telling himself not to imagine the worst like seeing her corpse laid out on the ground.

Earlier this afternoon he verbally reamed Bonnie for getting her magical wires screwed up because Mason Lockwood wanted to play Tag-Your-It and give Damon a taste of his own medicine. If he had known that by the end of the night the stalker would snatch Bonnie right from under their noses he might not have been as irritated with her, but it was hard this balance beam he was on.

On the one hand he thoroughly liked annoying Bonnie because she was the only person who could give as good as she got and never took his bribing seriously. She could dismiss him with the cut of her eye, curse him out with a simple curl to her lips, or make him feel as insignificant as an appendix. When he examined things closely on paper she was as personable as a porcupine, but underneath that untouchable demeanor was a passionate soul.

And on the other hand he found himself thinking about her when he shouldn't. And what others would find hard to believe is that this occurred long before she even hooked up with Stefan.

Back then it had been fleeting thoughts like wow she looks hot in those jeans, or she actually smiled at me today and it wasn't sardonic, or she has really soft skin I wonder if she's soft like that all over.

See, those types of thoughts would flit through his mind when he was trying to find a way to end Klaus, save Elena and not die after being bitten by Tyler.

If he were to open his mouth now and sing Bonnie's praises people would think he's only doing it because he wants what his brother has.

Despite all of that when Damon found Bonnie's stalker he was going to take great pleasure in plucking out his eyelashes one by one, followed by his teeth and then finally every bone in his body.

When they stepped inside the Bennett household it was plain to see there had been a struggle. The scent of Bonnie's blood was in the air but it wasn't heavy which meant they wouldn't find her in a pool of the stuff. Her room was ground zero of where the attack originated.

Something hot sliced through Damon when he thought of Bonnie waking up with a stranger looming over her. He may have been a mass murderer at one point in his shady past and sometimes current history, but there was nothing worse than a man forcing himself on a woman. And those men Damon felt didn't deserve to live another day if they ever came across his path.

He watched calmly as Stefan lost it, vamped out, punched a hole in the wall. He was being forced to be the responsible one again but in this case Damon didn't mind it too much because he did some of his best thinking when he wasn't railing like a wild animal. Unlike his brother.

The only thing that mattered at his point was getting Bonnie back in one piece.

A debate broke out on what to do next. And that's where Damon remembered about the tracking device he told Stefan to plant on Bonnie.

Soon after his hope of recovering her expeditiously was dashed the moment Stefan picked up the Algerian love knot necklace and subsequently turned it into confetti.

So this was turning into showing up at a party with drinks and no cups.

A day late and a dollar short yet again.

Then Stefan was on the run once more.

* * *

It started raining before he could make it back to the boardinghouse. He was soaking wet as he flashed his way to his bedroom and began digging through the drawers of his dresser looking for that damn card Helena gave him.

Damon wrung his arms out as he strolled into Stefan's room and watched him flit from his dresser, to the night table, to his closet all out tearing his room apart looking for something.

"Where the fuck is it?" Stefan growled as he pulled out a drawer and threw it to the floor. It shattered like toothpicks.

"You need to get it together and calm down, Stefan." Damon grabbed him by the arm.

Stefan snapped his head towards Damon. His eyes narrowed into slits. "Don't fucking tell me to calm down!" he pushed Damon off him. "Some asshole has my girlfriend and yet again I wasn't there to protect her because I was here listening to you all's bullshit!"

"Well guess what, you aren't doing Bonnie any favors by acting like a jack ass."

The two brothers looked at each other.

"What were you looking for?" Damon asked after Stefan piped down.

Stefan took a deep breath. "Do you remember Helena and Craven, two vampires I met when I lived in New York?"

Damon nodded his head. He wasn't getting the connection.

"Craven is one of the best trackers in the world. If he can pick up Bonnie's scent…"

Damon filled in the rest of the blank, "He'll be able to find her. But what makes you think they're gonna help you? Didn't you off their coven?"

A small business card caught his attention. It was jammed between the slats of his night table. Stefan closed his eyes in relief when it turned out to be Helena's contact information.

He held it up for Damon to see. "Helena had a hex on her…

"Try saying that three times fast," Damon joked.

"Bonnie broke it the minute she ended those vampires. Helena said she was in her debt now it's time for her to pay up."

"All right, call her and be nice about it. In the meantime I have a sheriff to wake the hell up."

* * *

**Very early morning…**

The lone police precinct was a hive of activity from sheriffs and deputies making calls to surrounding jurisdictions to be on the lookout for a man traveling with a teenage girl who was taken from her home in the middle of the night.

Liz Forbes rubbed her forehead for what felt like the millionth time this morning as she fielded tips from the community. Apparently Bonnie must be like a bunny rabbit because she kept making appearances on different ends of Mystic Falls. The team who had arrived at Bonnie's house the day after Christmas had been called into the office to construct a profile of the man responsible for taking her. Calls to the FBI field office had been made as well and two agents would be dispatched after the formal twenty-four hours had passed.

Liz had to shake her head at that. What more evidence of foul play did those "altruistic" cocksuckers need to see that a girl had been abducted from her home? Did they need Bonnie to stand on the side of the highway holding up a neon sign saying "Help, I've been kidnapped!"

A cold cup of coffee sat on the corner of her desk and she eyed it. Over and over she kept hearing Caroline's frantic voice telling her Bonnie was taken from her home and there was evidence of a struggle and they had no idea who may have done it or where she could be.

It was a parents' worse nightmare to wake up one day with the knowledge someone came into your home and took your child making the possibility of seeing them again—alive—very slim.

Yet the hardest part was calling Thomas Bennett and telling him that while he placed his job before spending time with his daughter, someone kidnapped her from their home. For the first time in a long time Thomas Bennett showed emotion and began to cry and said he was hopping on the first plane back to Virginia to aid in the search for his daughter.

Liz tried to offer him a few words of encouragement but gave up. Things were getting too heavy for her.

Positive thoughts, Liz, think positive thoughts.

Bonnie was no ordinary girl. She was a witch—which Liz was still grappling with believing all of that—and she had powers which meant if she had to she could kill someone. Not that Bonnie would go that route but in a situation like this where it ultimately boiled down to life or death, Liz felt in her heart Bonnie would do what was necessary to survive.

It was enough to give her a modicum of peace about the situation.

Professionally Liz knew she should remain as objective about this as possible, but it was hard thinking of Bonnie in such a clinical format. She was her daughter's best friend. They were so close they were more like sisters so it was difficult to imagine Bonnie as some distant person she may have seen around town but never interacted with. They had spent Christmas together for crying out loud; Bonnie had been in her home like an adopted daughter, and now…

She was out there somewhere and at the mercy of a lunatic.

One of the younger deputies came running up to Liz holding a parcel in his hand. His cheeks were ruddy and he smelled like the cold, stale air from outside.

"This came for you, Sheriff," Deputy Burgess said.

"Thanks," Liz accepted the package and immediately noticed that it did not have a return address. Opening it she found a memory card.

Liz walked away from her desk and went to see their IT specialist.

"Howie, someone just mailed a memory card to my attention. Can you bring up what's on here?"

The technician took the small device out of Liz's hands and placed it into his system. His fingers flew over the keys and he opened the file within seconds. Liz walked behind Howie to observe the image or footage on the screen.

The picture was grainy for the person was recording using night vision.

Liz didn't blink. Didn't speak, hardly breathed as she watched the footage as it played out on the monitor.

The recording lasted for a minute and seven seconds, but it felt like an hour to Liz.

Her throat felt dry and tight. "Can you find out where this memory card could have come from?"

"I can probably tell you who manufactured it and where it was sold, but as for the owner…I don't have the equipment necessary to run that kind of diagnostic."

"Damn it. Make a copy for our records and then send it off to get dusted for prints."

"Roger that."

Liz plucked her cell phone off her holster belt and dialed her trusty sidekick. "Damon…I need you to come down to the precinct as soon as you can."

As expected Damon didn't come alone. The entire wolf pack was there from Elena to Alaric, down to Caroline and Stefan who was looking more feral than murderous if a distinction between the two could be made.

Liz was all about discretion and lived by a need-to-know policy. Bonnie's best friends didn't need to know that her kidnapper had made a video of her; that would be too much to bear, but Liz had to remind herself she was dealing with a special bunch of people who had lived through and seen much worse than what was on the memory card.

"Liz, what's up?" Damon asked. It was plain to see from the expression on her face that she was weary.

"Someone mailed a memory card containing footage of Bonnie."

And everybody yelled "WHAT?" in unison.

A hush fell over the precinct.

"Is she alive?" Elena asked.

"She appears to be. My technician is running his diagnostic on it right now. We don't know when the footage was taken and it doesn't give us any clues to where she might be."

Stefan stepped forward. "I want to see it."

"Stefan, I don't think…"

He spoke lowly through clenched teeth. "I. Said. I. Want. To. See. It."

Liz relented and had Howie bring his laptop to her office area. The tension was so thick in the air you could sop it up with a biscuit.

Once the video began playing, no one said a word.

Stefan felt his chest constrict and tighten when he saw Bonnie bound and gagged on a bed. Her eyes were closed but he could see the subtle rise and fall of her chest. Then a gloved hand slithered on the screen and began to touch her cheek and her hair. The person zoomed out of the close-up of her face to a wide-shot to capture her entire body.

Then the person cut to another room where laid out on the bed was a wedding dress and a tuxedo. A voice spoke but it was distorted.

"We'll be together soon and there won't be a thing you'll be able to do to stop it."

The screen abruptly faded to black.

There was deafening silence all around.

Caroline and Damon exchanged knowing looks and moved into position to flank Stefan.

Stefan gritted his teeth to the point his cheeks began to shake. Vampires couldn't change color but a red flush began to overtake his neck, his jaw, his cheeks, before exploding on his forehead. The sclera of his eyes turned black, his fangs lengthened and penetrated his bottom lip.

Stefan has left the building!

"Stefan!" Caroline said as she lunged for him but it was too late. Stefan grabbed the first thing he saw which happened to be a desk, picked it up over his head and threw it through the double mirror of the interrogation room.

Elena screamed and Alaric pulled her out of the way. The deputies drew their weapons and looked at each other with uncertainty.

_Great, I'm gonna have to compel everyone in this motherfucking building, and more than likely they're on vervain which means I'll have to resort to snapping necks, because there's no way in the world anyone is going to forget Stefan's temper tantrum, _Damon thought as he caught Stefan around the arms.

Shockingly Stefan broke Damon's grip and flung him away like he was a gnat. Caroline jumped on his back and attempted to put Stefan in a headlock, but Stefan merely ran backwards and crashed into a wall ramming Caroline into it. She immediately let go.

Liz aimed her dart gun at Stefan and got him in the leg.

He growled, clasped his leg and wrenched the dart out but it was too late. The vervain was already burning its way through his system. He was losing control of his motor functions and was fighting tooth and nail to remain conscious.

Damon stepped up to Liz. "I understand he's upset but I will not tolerate his willful destruction of state property. Get him out of here, Damon."

**Tobias' POV**

_It was time to check on her again. She had been awfully quiet and it bothered me for obvious reasons. We were going to have to leave soon. By now the sheriff should have received the only clue I was going to give her. It was my triumph in telling the world over that Stefan lost and I won. By nightfall Bonnie and I would be legally married and there'd be nothing anyone could do to separate us. _

_I hadn't meant to strike her earlier its just that…she laid there all defiant not willing to take my feelings and perspective about her disastrous relationship with Stefan under consideration. She couldn't possibly understand the humilities I suffered time after time again on account of her. She treated me with indifference and behaved with that garbage like a whore._

_Well, I was going to take Stefan's whore and turn her into my queen if that was the last thing I do. _

_I entered our special room, the room I had assiduously decorated with her image to pay tribute to her ethereal beauty. Every time I saw Bonnie it took my breath away, she was just that gorgeous._

_Bonnie was still. Too still. Her arms kind of hung loosely as if she weren't contracting her muscles, and her head was positioned at a bizarre angle blocking her airway._

_I raced over to the bed and held a finger under her nose. No breath._

_I felt for a pulse in her neck. Couldn't find one._

_My heart began to race. No, she wouldn't die. She wouldn't leave me._

_I placed my head on her chest. There was no heart beat._

"_No, Bonnie…" I whimpered like a child and hastily reached for the box cutter from my back pocket. My hands were shaking so badly I almost nicked her when I cut the binds that held her arms and feet captive. _

"_Please…" I said and pulled the gag off her mouth. I began to administer CPR. How was this possible? How did she die? I-I couldn't have killed her. She couldn't be DEAD!_

_I breathed air back into her lungs and pumped her chest. Tears clouded my vision. What had I done? _

_Every time I did a compression I glared at her to breathe again to get her heart to beat again. "Bonnie."_

_It was too soon for her to die but none of this was making sense. Had she caused her brain to swell when she head butted me? It was a possibility. Had I struck her too hard and it exasperated her injury?_

_Oh, God I was feeling sick and nauseous. _

_After I did fifteen compressions I blew into her lungs again. She couldn't leave me. We had years ahead of us._

"_Bonnie…please…breathe…"_

Stefan was lost in his own mind. He could hear everything around him but he couldn't respond. Was this like the equivalent to waking up in the middle of surgery? You were conscious of everything but your body was paralyzed and you couldn't tell the doctors to stop digging around inside of you because you weren't completely knocked out in the first place?

Maybe.

Stefan blinked and saw nothing but endless darkness. He hated being shot up with vervain. The pain of it running through his veins was like nails on a chalkboard. And the poison continued to burn until the antibodies or whatever it was that counterattacked the vervain finally ran out of his system.

He sighed heavily and laughed evilly. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"Hello?"

Stefan perked up. He knew that voice as if it were his own. Heard that voice every single day for the last five months. Loved that voice.

His "metaphysical" self rose from sitting in the corner of the far recesses of his mind. "Bonnie?"

"Stefan…? Where are you? I can't see."

"I can't see you either. What are you doing here?"

"Where's here?"

"Last I checked I was lost in my mind."

There was silence. Stefan figured she was trying to process what he just said so it would make sense to her.

"Bonnie what's going on?"

"Stefan…I was kidnapped," she said urgently.

He felt his rage return. "I know," he replied flatly. "Where are you, baby?"

Every time he attempted to draw closer to her, her voice would fade a little more in the distance. Was he waking up? Or was she going away?"

"I don't know, but I know who took me."

"Who?"

"Tobias. Tobias Fell."

The history department head? Ooh, when he got his hands on him…its gonna be murda!

But Bonnie sounded farther away this time. "Baby, stay with me," he pleaded.

"I want to, Stefan but I'm being pulled back. You remember the spell I did to fake my death to play Klaus…I performed it again. Find me, Stefan. I love you."

"Bonnie WAIT!"

But it was too late because in the next second his eyes flew open and he jumped off the living room couch.

When he looked around he saw familiar curious eyes staring at him, but there were new eyes staring at him as well.

Helena and Craven had arrived from New York or wherever they came from.

"I know who has Bonnie."

**Bonnie's POV**

Here was my chance to get out. My hands and feet were cut loose but I couldn't exactly move just yet. The first time I performed this spell I was scared out of my freakin' mind. What if it backfired and I _never _woke up? What if I left myself wide open to be possessed by an evil spirit? This stuff never should be tampered with without reading the fine print.

Doing it the second time was about convincing another whack job that I was dead. If this wasn't an oxymoron, faking your death to save your life I didn't know what was.

But the best part of this horrible ordeal was getting to talk to Stefan. I still had no clear idea how that was possible. I just chucked it up to the fact I'm psychic and maybe somewhere along the way he and I opened our thoughts to one another, gave each other free reign to invade the others mind. When that could have happened, again I had no idea.

Slowly I was getting the feeling back in my toes, legs, and my fingers. I could move them but I wasn't breathing and my heart was palpitating but not beating strong.

Then I felt a disgusting pair of wet cold lips on mine and acrid breath infiltrating my lungs. I had to steal myself against vomiting once I became fully lucid again.

I was still on the bed so I really had no weapon to fight Tobias with. Looks like I'll just have to use my nails, fists, and legs.

Come on, Bonnie.

The moment he began to do compressions on my chest, I searched blindly for anything. My hand butted against the box cutter and I grasped it.

My eyes flew open and I coughed. Tobias stopped performing CPR and stared down at me in awe and wonder.

I slid the blade open and jammed it into his neck.

Blood gushed, surprise flashed on his face and I jumped off the bed like an Olympic hurdler.

* * *

Caroline was trying her best to keep her giggles at bay but it was so hard to do with Craven hanging out the window of Damon's car like a dog, breathing in the air to find Bonnie.

The minute Stefan woke up from his induced nap and proclaimed he knew who took Bonnie because Bonnie told him, everyone jumped into action. They could save their questions on how that was possible for a much later date. Caroline called her mom and told her and soon everyone was scrambling to reach The Fell residence.

Of course when they showed up the place was empty and looked as if it hadn't been lived in for months. So the next course of action was tracking down all known addresses for the Fell clan and checking them one by one.

In total there were seven properties in the Fell name located in and around Mystic Falls. Damon searched the list of addresses looking for the most obscure one, the one that offered the most privacy.

3217 Birch Lane.

Damon had been out there once to dump a body in the thick woods that surrounded the property.

A lone house stood on Birch Lane on an acre or two of land. From the outside the place looked like a dump and Damon wasn't sure if it had electricity or running water.

"Her scent is getting stronger," Craven said the minute he slipped back into the car, sunshades flashing in the fading sunlight.

Damon pressed harder on the gas.

Alaric was following behind him driving his newly acquired rental SUV. He made eye contact with Stefan who was riding shotgun with Alaric. The brother's acknowledged one another with an imperceptible nod of their heads.

They were getting close.

**Bonnie's POV**

I ran and of course had no idea where I was going. I just knew I needed to get out. With Tobias on the floor, bleeding and wheezing I ran for the door and ended up in a darkened hallway. Should I go left or right, which was the way out? I couldn't afford to hesitate so I ran to my left thinking more like praying it'll lead either to a flight of stairs or to the rest of the house.

When I smashed into a wall I realized the hallway wasn't as long as I thought it was and this wasn't the way out clearly, so I had no choice but to retrace my steps.

As I raced past the room where I was held captive a hand shot out and grabbed me by my pajama pant leg. I went tumbling to the ground again only this time my ribs broke my fall and something definitely cracked inside my body.

White-hot pain lanced through me like a machete and it took a moment to find a breath because it had been knocked out of me. I winced and grimaced and kicked myself free.

Tobias looked absolutely mental as he tried to pull me back into the room, but I sent out a pulse of energy that had him reeling backwards. I guess I missed his jugular vein?

"I'm gonna kill you," he whispered and I shook my head.

_Not if I kill you first_, I wanted to say.

Carefully I scrambled to my feet, holding my left arm close to my body because the pain of a broken rib was literally taking my breath away.

I felt my way along the walls and my foot slipped from out under me and I had no choice but to fling out both arms or I would have tumbled down the stairs. I cried out in pain and then made my way down the stairs.

My vision was adjusting to the darkness, but I saw light coming from under a door.

I stumbled my way over, never taking my eyes off the light and I knocked over a lamp or a plant or something off a table, and rammed my toes into furniture. I didn't care I just needed to get out.

"Jesus," I said under my breath. He had the front door pad locked with several locks. I could break them all but it would take time a whole lot of energy and I felt my reserves depleting rapidly.

When I looked to my right I saw more lightly seeping through cracks so I figured it had to be a window that was boarded up to keeping prying eyes out.

Hobbling over, there was a chair I could attempt to throw out of the window, but the left side of my body was in so much pain it felt like I was on fire. Worry about the pain later, Bon, and get your ass out of here and that's an order.

The chair looked heavy and on a good day I probably could have tossed it out of a window with some effort, but this was going to take more than I had.

Movement from the stairs caught my attention and needless to say I summoned my inner She-Hulk, lifted that chair and threw it as best as I could towards the window.

At the same time the chair broke the window, a bullet whizzed past my ear. I ducked and crouched to the ground.

Tobias was currently falling down the stairs while trying to catch himself and shoot me at the same time.

I sucked in a breath and ran towards the window.

I dove clean through the opening and landed as best I could to the cold, hard ground waiting below.

I was blinded by the sunlight and disoriented when my body landed. I probably didn't execute the best tuck and roll but it didn't matter I had gotten out. Now the next step was putting as much distance between myself and Tobias Fell.

If only I knew how to fly.

"Bonnie!"

Someone screamed my name and it was then I realized that the cavalry had arrived and I was saved.

I probably only took a step forward when something heavy landed on my back and I felt the cold embrace of metal pressed against my temple.

"You take one step closer and I'll shoot her," Tobias said and jostled me for good measure.

My disheveled hair was kind of blocking my vision but I could tell that all the vampires were pretty much showing fang. I blinked because if I wasn't mistaken Helena and Craven were standing next to _my_ vampires. What were they doing here? Again that would be a question best asked at a later date.

"Let her go and I'll make sure you have a quick and painful death," Stefan said in a voice that dripped nothing but venom and promise.

In response, Tobias cocked the gun into ready position.

"You think I'm fucking with you, _Stefan_?" Tobias defended. "I'll blow her brains out all over this yard."

We're not going to get into this. With a single thought I made the clip eject from the gun, and popped the bullet out of the cage.

Tobias' gasp of surprise told me all I needed to know. I reared back my good elbow and clocked him in the temple. He went down.

Hands grabbed at me and pulled me out of the way. I screamed in protest because of the broken rib and the last thing I was able to see was Stefan and Damon ghosting off with a bleeding Tobias Fell.

* * *

Tobias was on his knees, on the ground when Damon rammed his closed fist between the thoracic and lumbar bones of his spinal cord rendering him paralyzed from the waist down. The sound was akin to dropping a bag of rocks on concrete.

It was pure music to Stefan's ears.

Stefan danced around on the balls of his feet cricking his neck feeling like he was about to go up against Ali in a title fight. This would be a lot more satisfying if Tobias was a vampire or werewolf and not human because humans broke so easily and couldn't last as long as a person with a supernatural healing ability. He wanted the pain and torment to be exquisite and last for two days, but he'd have to settle for knocking Tobias around until his brain turned to mush in his skull.

The first blow Stefan delivered separated the right side of his lower jawbone from the upper portion. Blood flew through the air, Tobias spat out several of his teeth and his eyes rolled like marbles.

The next blow made his brain bang against his skull and he felt all his long-term memories fading into nothingness.

Stefan rammed his knee into his chin and he felt the man's jawbone crumble into dust.

Damon dropped his hold on Tobias. The man swayed a little.

The vampire siblings of course wouldn't let him hit the ground without leaving him an additional parting gift.

Damon clamped down on the left side of his neck, Stefan took the right and together they pulled in opposite directions until his head flopped backwards like a rag doll.

Blood coated their chins, lips, and teeth. They looked at each other. Was now the time to high-five someone for a job well done?

The sound of a wailing ambulance and several police cruisers caught their attention. They had to make quick work of getting rid of the body and of course hiding evidence of their "talk" with Tobias.

The brothers found a ravine and threw Tobias down it. Cleaning off the blood was a little more problematic so they resorted to using leaves as makeshift napkins to make themselves as presentable as possible.

Soundlessly they walked back to the front of the property just in time to see the paramedics strap Bonnie onto a gurney.

Stefan rushed over to her side.

The second he was able to touch her hand he felt his barriers break and he started crying, crying in relief she was all right and out of rage that this had to happen to her in the first place.

Damon strolled over to Alaric to get an update. "How is she?"

"She's got a possibly broken rib a lot of cuts and bruises, maybe a concussion. Other than that we won't know more until she gets an X-ray. But she…she's strong."

"That she is."

Bonnie tried to smile and failed mostly because of the tightness of the neck brace. She searched the crowd of faces and spotted the lone figure in black.

Damon inclined his head but made no move to approach her. There was no need because he could read her "thank you" in her eyes.

Stefan held her hand the whole way she was rolled to the waiting ambulance. When he attempted to climb inside, an EMT tried to detain him; however, he quickly changed his mind after seeing Stefan's lethal expression.

He turned his full attention back to Bonnie and kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Stef," she said softly.

"No one is going to take you away from me again. I won't let them."

"I know," Bonnie replied and felt her eyelids getting heavy. "I know."

Chapter end.

**A/N: I know the first time I posted this chapter many wanted to know why Bonnie just didn't use more magic. The answer is simple one) I didn't want her too. Two) For plot reasons. Three) she has her own code about not using magic to hurt humans. She'll do what damage she can, but she, in my opinion, would be against using magic to kill a human. And because all she ever does on the show is use magic, I wanted to show Bonnie using her God-given survival skills to get out of a sticky situation. And if you're wondering who Tobias Fell was, he appeared in the Ghost World episode where he was killed by the ghosts of the Tomb Vampires. He was the old guy who had about a second of screen time. Hoped you liked it. Thank you for reading. Love you!**


	23. Futuristic Delusions

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

How do you measure being safe? Do you add up the number of times you're injured in a day, week, month or year, and then divided it by how many near car-crashes you avoided or falls down the stairs that were prevented or escaping freak accidents that spelled certain death? Statistically speaking everyone Bonnie knew should have died a hundred times over yet miraculously they were all still alive.

She felt a new appreciation for life that was for sure.

Bonnie carefully applied kohl eyeliner to the bottom of her eyes and wiped away the excess with a Q-Tip. She cleared her throat as she leaned in and brushed finishing powder over her face to get rid of any oil caused by her foundation. Picking up her favorite tube of lip gloss she covered her lips with shimmer and then eyed her appearance in the mirror.

Not bad.

The physical bruises of her altercation were hidden underneath black leggings and a gray sweater dress. From the outside no one would know just a week ago she had been kidnapped out of her own home, tied and bound to a bed, and broke a rib in her escape. To a stranger she looked like any other well put together teenager.

On the inside she was a flux of mixed emotions.

Bonnie switched her thoughts and then smiled when Stefan entered the bathroom, fully dressed. He snaked his arms around her from the back and kissed the shell of her ear.

"You look beautiful."

Her smile brightened. Bonnie had had to stay in the hospital for two days of observation because her blood pressure was extremely high. She had had no peace from the interchanging nurses, the prodding doctor who felt the need to constantly lay his hands on her, to the nasty food she forced herself to ingest. Right now all she could think about was sinking her perfect teeth into a juicy fat burger and salty hypertension filled fries and wash it all down with a thick chocolate milkshake. But it was seven in the morning and she needed to be on her way to school.

But the whole time while she was in the hospital Stefan had played vigil by her bed, and hardly let her out of his sight once they returned to the boardinghouse. For days he only sang her praises for how beautiful she was when Bonnie was sure she looked like a squirrel who stuck its tail into an electrical socket.

"There's no need to butter me up," she said. Stefan grinned and ran his hands along her stomach and her hips. His eyebrow drew up to his hairline.

"What?" Bonnie's voice had risen an octave.

Stefan may be impervious to feeling pain the way a regular human does, but he wasn't in the mood to have his girlfriend attempt to gouge his eyes out if he said exactly what was on his mind.

Bonnie for her part tapped her foot impatiently on the bathroom floor.

"Mr. Salvatore your silence is only digging your grave bigger. Say what's on your mind."

He sighed. "You've put on a little weight," Stefan prayed he said that as gently as he could. "But it looks good on you. I like it." He added very quickly.

Bonnie ran her eyes over her body. So her stomach wasn't as flat and washboard as it used to be, and her hips were a little more flared out. She wasn't worried about developing muffin top or cellulite and all of that could be rectified with a few trips to the gym.

"It's called happy weight," she said to his reflection. "Most people in healthy, stable relationships pick up the pounds, and when a woman…" she blushed momentarily, "has a very good sex life…things are known to spread. Or so I heard."

Stefan chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Like I said I like it on you. There's more to love."

She elbowed his perfect abs.

"But I have a very good exercise plan that involves little to no clothing," he murmured suggestively.

"Sounds nice, but we gotta get out of here for my first official day back in school." Bonnie faked a look of excitement.

Typically when she and her friends saved the town from imminent disaster and returned to school on the following day, everyone else walked around in complete ignorance of what could have befallen them. Part of Bonnie resented the fact that everyone in town could go about their day to day lives with the impression of Mystic Falls being some boring albeit tight-knit community that offered little outside of bonfire parties and Civil War inspired pageants and balls. Archaic is the word that popped in Bonnie's head as she thought of her hometown. They just had no clue.

If they had a clue she'd either be the most popular or feared person in all of Virginia. She wasn't sold on whether she should count it as a blessing or a curse.

The couple made their way downstairs. "If anyone gives you a hard time let me know and I'll set them straight."

Bonnie grabbed her pea coat and slipped it on. "I can tell you right now that won't be necessary. And I can tell you who's more than likely to approach me to get all up in my business…Bethany Hayes. But then again she might not because I think Tobias was a distant cousin of hers."

Stefan's face turned into stone at the mention of Bonnie's attacker.

"If she doesn't want a first hand experience of what happened to her third cousin, she should learn to keep her mouth shut."

"Hey," Bonnie cupped Stefan's cheeks and kissed him. "I'm getting over what happened…you should too."

Stefan slipped her hands off his face and simply held them. "Why should you have to get over it? Why should you set it apart from the rest of your life and act like it never happened and ultimately pardon that asshole for what he's done? You weren't his only victim, Bonnie."

Bonnie closed her eyes as she thought of the other girls and women who were attacked by Tobias Fell. Thanks to the advances in DNA testing they were able to link him to several other unsolved assault cases dating back to the early nineties.

"I know that. But harboring hatred in my heart…it isn't who I am and takes too much energy. Stefan, I'm glad to be alive, to be standing here with you. That's what I'm choosing to focus on. And the bad _is _as much a part of my life as the good. I can acknowledge it for what it is and move on. I don't need to harbor anything negative. I can't."

That was his Bonnie endlessly selfless and positive.

Just as he was about to kiss her again, Craven and Helena glided downstairs. They had remained in Mystic Falls after Bonnie's recovery.

Bonnie could look at the tall blonde and not feel inferior or threatened by her past with Stefan, whatever it may have been. It wasn't like they told her of their old exploits, and she didn't ask questions because there were certain mysteries that needed to remain that, a mystery.

Craven still took some getting used to despite the fact she couldn't see his eyes behind the dark shades; she was always terribly aware of when he was staring right at her.

When she had the time, she would try her best to look for a way to help him regain his sight.

"Well, my friends," Helena began, "Craven and I are once again on the move. Stefan it is always a pleasure to be in your company. Bonnie…don't be a stranger. Use my number."

Not likely to happen anytime this century, Bonnie thought but smiled nonetheless.

"Thank you so much for your help," Bonnie told them and refrained from saying she owed them one because vampires were notorious for making someone keep their promise.

Craven the Mime, merely inclined his head towards them both and in seconds they were gone.

Stefan let out a huge sigh of relief. Now the boardinghouse no longer felt like its namesake.

Bonnie swung her purse and her satchel over her good shoulder.

"Ready?" Stefan asked.

"Yep."

And on to school they went.

* * *

**Forbes' Residence**

"I know this is off topic but I need to get laid."

Elena slurped her cherry coke up her nose and coughed as it went down the wrong pipe. Her eyes immediately began to water, and she reached for a paper napkin to wipe her eyes, mouth, and nose.

Bonnie's eyes widened as she paused in chewing her slice of pepperoni pizza. She wasn't too surprised by Caroline's outburst, have come to expect them, and enjoy them at times because she was notorious for saying something completely inappropriate at an appropriate time. If that made sense.

The three girls were having a "veggie" session at Caroline's directly after school. It was their first time hanging out since Elena and Bonnie put a band-aid on their beef and agreed to repair the damage that was done to their friendship. Sure they may have met up every Wednesday for kick-boxing and self-defense classes but the chemistry between them had been formal and business-like. They were cordial but detached.

Now things were slowly stitching itself back to the way it used to be.

Case in point, they now erected a new rule that Girl's Night would take place every Tuesday. No boyfriends, bedmates, or cell phones were allowed because time was drawing short on their high school careers, and in a few months time they'd all be walking across the stage and heading off on different paths.

Bonnie still hadn't heard anything from the three colleges she applied to and she was trying her best not to freak out or feel anxious about it. Nevertheless she did receive some good news from her music instructor that she was a finalist for a lucrative scholarship, and if she won, could be spending six weeks during the summer in Switzerland.

She hadn't told Stefan for obvious reasons. He was feeling kind of sensitive these days.

Just to leave the house today she almost had to resort to giving him an aneurysm.

She understood his reasons for wanting to watch her like a hawk, but she was safe and had proven yet again that she was a BAMF and didn't need anyone looking over her shoulder or watching her every move.

But back to Caroline's confession.

Elena and Bonnie speared one another with a look. They were in for a mouth full of angst.

Caroline didn't disappoint.

She wiped the grease off her fingers and looked pointedly at both her friends. "I say that because when Tyler and I were together it was like a 60's love fest almost everyday. I mean we could have put Jenna Jameson to shame."

Bonnie didn't even want to ask who that was.

"And we did it everywhere and anytime. At school, in his car, in my car and you know that thing is no bigger than a Tonka truck," Elena and Bonnie chuckled. "I mean before practice, after practice, and if we could have gotten away with it, during practice. But since we've broken up I can count on one hand the number of guys I've flirted with, kissed, or eye-fucked." Caroline shaped her fingers into an O.

She sighed heavily. "I've never gone through a dry spell of this magnitude before. How did you do it, Bonnie?"

The girl in question nearly swallowed her pizza down the wrong pipe. "Thanks," Bonnie mumbled incredulously.

"I'm not trying to be insensitive but before Stefan there was Jeremy and before him…nothing, and I know you can barely keep your legs closed now."

Bonnie blushed like a tomato and avoided eye contact with Elena who went noticeably quiet.

Caroline continued as if nothing was remiss. "But seriously how in the world could you live out day after day not getting any dick?"

"Caroline," Bonnie began slowly. "It's hard to miss something you're not getting. Sex was not important because I wasn't having it."

"Yeah, I get that but how did you go about your day-to-day life without crumbling to pieces, or accidentally setting the school on fire, or uprooting trees?"

Bonnie snorted and reached for another slice of pizza and slapped it on her plate. "I was too worried about keeping my friends alive than worrying about getting laid. That kind of takes precedence over everything else."

Caroline stared hard at Bonnie before bringing her attention to Elena. Elena was no freak, she knew that of course, but Elena had a tad bit more experience with boys than Bonnie and yes that was before Stefan rolled into town in his Porsche. Aw, she missed that car.

Elena held her hands out in surrender. "Don't look at me. You know my history, Care. I only slept with those I was in love with ."

"You two are useless," Caroline grumbled and nibbled her bottom lip. "Matt was good…for a human…but after going supernatural nothing compares."

All three girls could agree…to some point that is. Bonnie and Jeremy never really did anything, and the guy Bonnie gave her V card to was nothing to write home about. She couldn't even remember his name—how sad, but Caroline was absolutely right. There was just something supernatural about doing it with a supernatural.

And when two supernatural creatures came together…fireworks, explosions, atomic bombs went off. Bonnie was positive if she really wanted to let loose she could induce a 5.0 earthquake.

Stefan of course would walk around resembling The Joker if she tried.

"So what are you going to do to alleviate your…problem?" Elena asked and nibbled a corner of pizza crust.

The blond vampire shrugged a shoulder. "Would you guys think I was weak if I called Tyler for a booty call?"

Again Elena and Bonnie exchanged looks.

"Why would you want to?" Elena asked and frowned as if the idea was preposterous, which it was in her good opinion.

"It's too risky," Bonnie said. "Tyler cheated on you with another girl and hasn't done much outside of offer a watered down apology to prove how sorry he was for hurting you. I get it you want to take the edge off, blow off some steam, relieve your stress…this is why I'm sure vibrators were invented."

"As if I haven't already tried that. Mr. Palmer who runs the convenience stores keeps giving me looks every time I go there to buy several packs of batteries at a time."

"So what are your options, then?" Elena asked. "Go back to Tyler? He's not worth it."

"I know that," Caroline whined. "But a chick is going through serious withdrawals and if it doesn't change soon I may…it won't be pretty I'll just put it like that." Caroline grew deceptively quiet.

This of course worried Bonnie. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing."

"You answered that too quickly, Caroline," Elena pointed out.

Caroline chose that moment to rise from the table to grab another bottle of water. "So has anyone heard back from any of the colleges they applied to?"

For now they would allow Caroline to change the subject. Elena was the next person to rise from the table. Her two friends watched as she went over to her book bag and extracted a large packet. It was from the University of Virginia.

"This just came in the mail today."

Caroline flashed her way to Elena, took the large packet out of her friend's hands and beamed a large smile.

"You know this means you got in right?"

Elena was trying to appear demure by suppressing her smile, but she vigorously nodded her head.

"But I didn't want to open it until I was with you guys."

You didn't have to tell Caroline twice. She ripped open the envelope and quickly read over the first sentence of the letter.

"'Congratulations we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the University of Virginia'. Elena you did it girl! You're going to college!" Caroline and Elena hugged each other. Bonnie joined in and the three began to blabber all over one another.

A light bulb went off over Caroline's head. "This reminds me." Caroline zipped her way to her bedroom and when she returned she too held two large packets in her hands. One of those she handed over to Bonnie who stared at her uncomprehendingly. "When you were in the hospital I checked your mail and…" she gestured to the packet, her eyes dancing.

Bonnie finally stared down at the large envelope in her hands and read who it was from. "Duke?" she said aloud. Duke was her first choice but Bonnie didn't think her academic record was impressive enough for the admissions board. But apparently she had worried for nothing.

Her fingers shook as she tore the flap open, and extracted a letter and an information booklet.

"I got in!" she said after reading the opening paragraph several times and double checking that the letter had been addressed to her and not to someone else.

Bonnie was engulfed into hugs and hair.

"So did I!" Caroline shouted.

"You applied to Duke?" Bonnie and Elena asked simultaneously.

Caroline tried her best not to look too insulted by their dubiousness.

Caroline propped a hand on her hip. "Despite the fact I'm blond, I'm brilliant," she sniffed. "But, Bon you and I are going to college together."

Elena was trying very hard to be happy for her friends but she couldn't escape feeling miffed or jealous. They had all been close, but for years Elena and Bonnie had developed their own language that sometime's Caroline had to interpret, which she vocalized on numerous occasions that she didn't like it. However, seeing that her friends were going to continue on their journey together while she remained in Virginia for Jeremy's sake, Elena felt like whatever bond she had with her girlfriends was shrinking in strength.

Caroline and Bonnie were the ones who now spoke their own language, and constantly hung out together.

Not like you gave them much choice when you fell off the grid, Elena painfully reminded herself.

"We're going to have to celebrate," the blond vampire said excitedly.

"No more parties, Caroline," Bonnie moaned.

"I'm not speaking of a kegger of Titanic proportions, just something small and intimate between us and a few chosen friends. No more than twenty people at the most." Caroline batted her blue eyes. "Please?"

"If we say no," Elena began, "she will make us pay during prom."

If that wasn't the truth, Bonnie thought and then shrugged. "Fine. But I don't want anything to do with planning."

"Please, I am the Martha Stewart of Mystic Falls except for the whole being an embezzler part. Leave everything to me."

* * *

Stefan wasn't afraid to touch her like she was as fragile as glass, just afraid that she wasn't ready. He watched her carefully as she prepared for bed, deciding to use one of his Henley shirts as her nightgown. He loved it when she wore his clothes—period. From his shirts, to his socks, even his boxer briefs, it didn't matter. When he had questioned her why she preferred to wear his things instead of her own, her answer had been simple.

"They smell like you and I love your smell."

He was sold from that moment on.

As he observed her while she washed the makeup off her face, his eyes roamed over her body beginning with her ankles. The zip ties had left angry welts and bruises on her flawless caramel skin. There were cuts that peppered her knee caps and shins, places where she landed against the stairs in her haste to getaway. They were all faint now, but with his impeccable eyesight they were still fresh to him.

Occasionally spasms would rack her body and she'd have to pop an aspirin or soak in the tub, and her cracked rib only bothered her if she tried to reach for something that was out of her grasp. Everyday she took it slow but was anxious to heal so she could be ready for the next shoe that would inevitably drop.

Finally after brushing and flossing her teeth, Bonnie turned out the bathroom light and swayed her way into their bedroom.

He helped her on the high bed and saddled as close to her as possible once she lied flat on her back.

"How do you feel?"

He asked her that question every night and every night her answer had been the same. She was fine but sore and stiff.

Bonnie smirked as she cupped his cheek. She knew what Stefan was really asking her. Was she ready?

After she was released from the hospital her movements around the boardinghouse had been restricted mostly because of the pain. Stefan didn't want her to move if she didn't have to, but Bonnie constantly insisted that she needed to get the movement back into her arms, legs, and joints or she ran the risk of being completely lazy. In their occupation that was a hazard. She was glad for his thoughtfulness but found it to be a bit too much and kind of not like "him" the Stefan he was now but the one he had been Pre-Klaus.

It should have comforted her but it unnerved her.

Quite simply she had gotten too used to Ripper Stefan and as a result was too comfortable with him.

"I feel…much better. Today was a good day."

"You had fun with the girls? Did you gossip about me?"

Bonnie smirked. "I did have fun. And you may have been brought up into a discussion about supernatural sex but it was more of an implication rather than me professing to them what a sex pistol you are."

At that he chuckled wholeheartedly.

Stefan inclined his head until his lips brushed against her cheek. "Speaking of sex…" he wiggled his eyebrows at her to which Bonnie rolled her eyes and then proceeded to roll on her side giving him the sight of her back.

Stefan groaned. "Bon-_nie."_

"Ste-_fan._"

He gently took her by the shoulder and rolled her until she was on her back again. "I promise I'll be gentle."

"I'm sure you will be…at first…but that's not the reason why I'm not in the mood."

"So what's the reason?" he hoped to keep the edge out of his voice.

"Babe I'm just tired. I used a lot magic and energy and I haven't fully recovered from that. If we get started no matter how good it is I might end up falling asleep on you."

He glared at her but then softened his expression. "You feel that lethargic?"

Bonnie simply nodded her head and then yawned on cue. Stefan kissed her lips and let his hand trail down the center of her body. When he reached the hem of his shirt he began to pull it up until her underwear was nearly exposed.

Bonnie grabbed him by the wrist. "Stefan…" her breathing was just a touch shallow but she yawned again.

The vampire sighed and gave up his seduction. She wasn't joking about being tired.

Bonnie patted his shoulder and her eyes were already drifting closed. "Soon," yawned again this one lasting longer than its predecessors. "I promise."

Stefan allowed Bonnie to snuggle into him. He plopped back down to the mattress and stared up at the ceiling. She was already snoring softly. He chuckled derisively and ran his tongue over his gums. They were beginning to pound. Well if one appetite wasn't about to be satiated then the least he could do was grab himself a glass of blood. But he'd hold Bonnie for an hour or two before moving.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Bonnie said suddenly which surprised the mess out of him. "I got into Duke."

"You did? Baby congratulations."

"So did Caroline."

Stefan snorted rudely. "Who did she compel to make that happen?"

"Hey," Bonnie voice was sharp but quiet. "She's smart. She just doesn't want a lot of people to know that. It gives her an edge."

"If you say so."

"Hush, Stefan."

"Yes, dear."

Bonnie giggled, grew quiet again and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

The following day Bonnie found herself in Alaric's studio apartment or whatever it was supposed to be. A wall had been knocked out to give the impression of having a bedroom, but hey it worked for him since he lived alone and wasn't seriously seeing anyone so who did he have to impress?

But she wasn't there to offer him decorating tips but to try to decipher and make sense of the hieroglyphics that he photographed in the Lockwood cave.

Bonnie had to admit she was proud that Alaric was so focused on his task and glad he had one where he could exercise his skills in research and hunting. For a while she had been worried about him especially after Jenna's death. He didn't really have the chance to mourn her because he had to step into a god-father, pseudo uncle role for the Gilbert orphans.

Besides one could make a living out of keeping them and Damon out of trouble although the life insurance was horrible.

She had been expecting Alaric to swing open the door, so to say she was surprised but then again not so to see Damon, Bonnie pasted on a smile and sailed into the apartment.

"I won't bother to ask why you're here," Bonnie began without preamble. Since her ordeal Damon had kept his distance from her. She didn't understand why because he was as much of a Mother Hen as Stefan was, but…he was acting very mellow.

Odd. Especially for someone with such an explosive personality.

"Hello to you, too Judgey."

And they were back to the unwanted nicknames. Bonnie rolled her eyes and dug around in her coat pocket for the OW's talisman.

"Hey, Ric."

"Bonnie, I'm glad you're here." He held up a photo of a picture which resembled the talisman. "For days I've been trying to figure out where I've seen this and then I remembered…Elena's necklace."

"Here it is, as requested," she handed over the object to Alaric.

Damon hovered around in the background playing with a throwing knife.

Alaric's cell rang and he checked the caller ID. "Hang on, guys. I have to take this."

This left Bonnie no choice but to socialize with Damon or pick her nails.

She approached him and held out her hand for the knife. "May I?"

"Can't you just sha-zam it out of my hands?" he asked and tossed the knife artfully into the air before blindly catching it.

"I can but I'm trying to ask you for it nicely, Damon. Please don't be a prick."

"Well, we wouldn't want that now would we," he lifted his brows and handed the knife over to Bonnie.

She studied it for a moment and gripped it tightly in her hand. When she was sure Damon had his guard down she attempted to lunge for him, but he caught her by the arm, twisted her around until her back was pressed against his front and then playfully nibbled on her neck.

Bonnie broke his hold and punched him in the gut. He feigned pain.

"So I heard you got into Duke," Damon said to start a conversation.

Bonnie merely nodded her head downplaying the gravity of such an event.

"So does that mean…come August you'll be heading to North Carolina? Didn't you apply to some other schools in Virginia?"

Bonnie wasn't sure but she was fairly sure that Damon was having a hard time accepting the fact he'd no longer have her at his beck and call or at his disposal with the snap of his fingers. For so long he had grown accustomed to her being his get out of jail free card, the element of surprise. With her no longer around to help clean up the mess he inevitably created, he'd have to fall back on what made him such a formidable vampire in the first place to save himself.

And she certainly didn't want him falling back into old habits. But she couldn't spend the rest of her life policing him or Stefan or any other vampire who rolled into town. That wasn't the life she wanted for herself.

"I'm still waiting to hear back from Radford and George Mason, but Duke was my number one choice."

"What about Duke?" Alaric asked when he returned.

Bonnie turned to face him. "I got in."

"Congratulations," his tone was a touch somber.

Bonnie nodded her head. She was sure Alaric had mixed feelings about Duke considering that's where Isobel taught.

"Did you need anything else, Ric?"

"No, that was all. Thank you, Bonnie."

She nodded her head again, barely glanced at Damon before leaving the apartment.

Bonnie had barely reached her car when she felt a sharp wind blow past her and naturally she'd find Damon leaning against her car door with his arms folded.

"What?" she asked and mimicked his stance.

"You know I don't like to get in your business unless I absolutely have to…but do you think it's smart to move over two hundred miles away?"

Bonnie's laugh was dry. "What am I supposed to do, Damon? Never step foot outside of this town because it's a hot spot for the supernatural?"

"It's just…I know Elena is staying local…and aren't you all, all about solidarity? Being a unified front and girl power forever?"

Bonnie chuckled. "I can't stay connected to Elena or Caroline's hips for the rest of my life because that isn't realistic. I'll stay for as long as it takes to find a way to get rid of Klaus for good. But once it's all over, I'm out. As much as I love my hometown in a lot of ways I feel like its holding me back. You can understand that, can't you? I mean…you left."

He was standing in front of her barely leaving any personal breathing room between them. "Because if I stayed Stefan was going to get me killed, and Katherine was trapped so I needed to figure out a way to free her. I couldn't do that living in po-dunk Mystic Falls. I left to gather resources and to kill my way to getting a backbone. I was such a wimp back then."

No matter how many times she heard it Bonnie had such a hard time picturing Damon as some "Yes, ma'am; whatever you say, sir" kind of guy.

"Let me make sure I have this straight. You're only objection to me relocating to North Carolina is because you think my friendship with Elena will suffer if I don't stay here."

Damon's once animated face went blank. "No, you've missed the point completely."

Bonnie tossed her hands in the air. "Clearly."

"This really has nothing to do with Elena. I could careless if you fix whatever was broken between the two of you. I'm just saying…if something were to happen here to someone you care about but you were off frat party hopping, how would that make you feel? I'm just looking out for your self-righteous martyr complex, Witchy."

"Right," Bonnie said skeptically and walked around Damon to her car. He and his brother had been acting peculiar since her kidnapping. She had no idea what was wrong with them but she was hoping they'd get themselves together and soon.

* * *

Alaric needed to take a step back from going over and over the pictures of the hieroglyphics because he feared if he looked at the images any longer than he already had, they were going to start talking to him. That's why he found himself heading over to the Grill in the middle of the afternoon thirsty for a drink, and no he wasn't taking about lemonade.

Taking a seat on his favorite stool the bartender didn't even ask him what he wanted. Alaric wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. It might be good he didn't have to hear himself order an alcoholic beverage way before happy hour was set to begin, but it might be a bad thing that said he didn't like variety.

Whatever. No one in this dump paid his bills so they could take their opinion about his drinking and shove it.

Once the shot of whiskey was placed in front of him, he gazed at it like it was the love of his life. Ric snorted. The love of his life who had a life when she was a teacher at Duke, threw it all away to become a gotdamn vampire. Can you say a man was real insecure after learning his wife left him because she wasn't satisfied with being a married, _human _woman and then…

Ric burst out into a fit of chuckles that earned him plenty of strange looks.

Jump ahead a few years and he was involved in a bromance with the vampire who turned his wife into a bloodsucking, conniving leech.

Oh, happy day!

Ric tossed back the shot.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked around the restaurant. All the usual suspects were in attendance. My God did these people never leave this town to find somewhere else to eat? It wasn't like the food was top notch. If Chef Ramsey from Hell's Kitchen decided to pop up to do an inspection, Ric was pretty confident he'd shut the place down in half an hour.

Over by the pool tables he spotted Stefan. Unconsciously his eyes narrowed. The vampire was by himself knocking the balls around, but it wasn't so much Stefan Ric was thinking about but the young girl he was currently dating.

Hearing the news of Bonnie being accepted into Isobel's Alma Mater brought up some feelings Ric thought he dealt with a long time ago. Okay, maybe "dealt with" wasn't the right phrase because one minute he was pouring through her research and learning how obsessed she was with vampires, werewolves, witches the whole she-bang, and the next he was training how to kill all of the above. Plenty of times Ric questioned if he married a stranger or not. Apparently he had.

But he wasn't thinking of Bonnie in terms of her being a stranger but her future. Stefan was immortal or at the very least could be immortal so long as he avoided stakes, fire, and decapitation. Bonnie had the power to extend her life but she'd still age. And though he didn't know her before the Salvatore's moved back into town, he was sure Bonnie was just another run-of-the-mill teenager who was only interested in boys, shopping, and boys and probably in that order.

Now she was tethered to a creature that was something of a danger magnet. And one who could end up spending the rest of his life in Mystic Falls. Bonnie had options but he feared she might put them on the back burner.

Ric groaned. He felt his responsibility angel harp in his ear telling him he needed to go have a heart-to-heart with Stefan.

He already knew it would be pretty much pointless and wouldn't go well, but at least he'd have the satisfaction in knowing he tried.

Sighing, Ric ordered one more shot, and after tossing it back, made his way over to Stefan.

"Stefan…how you been?" Ric asked.

The vampire looked at Ric over his shoulder, offered a sarcastic grin and returned his attention to his game. Inwardly Ric shook his head. So their moment of bonding over saving Bonnie had ended and Stefan was back to his charming self were Alaric's innermost thoughts.

"It's plain to see you have something on your mind, Ric, and it ain't about getting lucky."

Ric made a face.

Stefan turned around to face him and pointed at a table filled with women who were talking behind their hands and whispering back and forth with each other.

"One of them saw you come in and was going to ask to buy you a drink…now they're questioning if you bat for the other team," Stefan chuckled and lined up his next shot.

Women had been so far off his radar the last six months, Ric knew he was an honorary monk. He slyly looked over to the table of women. All of them were attractive in their own right, and probably had stellar personalities, unfortunately at the moment he was looking after two angst-filled teenagers and babysitting one narcissistic vampire. He simply didn't have the time to date or even have a one-night stand. Pathetic, Alaric thought.

"Since you're so busy," Ric's tone was acerbic, "I'll make this brief…when Bonnie goes off to college, what are you going to do?"

That was a no-brainer to Stefan. "I'm going with her of course."

"But haven't you been charged with keeping Elena under your protection? How are you going to do that so your owner doesn't rip you a new one, _and _follow your girlfriend off to college? You can't have it both ways, Stefan."

The vampire in question gritted his teeth. "Why are you even talking to me about this? Where is this coming from?"

"It's coming from the fact Bonnie deserves to have a future…a real one. Not this chemically induced life the two of you have been living. You're hands are tied until we find away to kill Klaus, but until then there's not much you can offer her in terms of having a future."

Stefan gripped the pool stick so hard his fingers warped the shape of it. "I love Bonnie."

"I'm sure you think you do and if you love her like you claim, you can't ask her to put her life on hold."

"I never have."

"No you haven't but being what you are…it's been implied. Maybe one day she'll want to get married and have children…you can provide marriage but not the latter part. You seriously want to rob her of that option?"

Stefan shook his head. Well, this conversation wasn't what he had been expecting when Ric strolled his way over here.

"What do you want from me, Ric? Do you want me to break up with Bonnie, tell her to find herself a normal,_ boring_ human to have a life with?" Stefan calmly sat the pool stick down and approached Ric. He stared the man down.

"Its not gonna happen. If anyone attempts to take her from me…watch who dies and how fast."

Ric pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course leave it to a vampire to jump right to the only thing they're good at while missing the point completely.

"Good, you want to keep her safe…but you can't turn vigilante every time there's a threat…"

"You see, that's where you're wrong. I'm not human, Alaric, haven't been in close to a hundred and fifty years. I'm governed by a different set of laws. So is Bonnie. We belong together in that respect."

Ric chuckled humorlessly. "I wasn't just speaking of a physical threat…but the threat of time…age…personal circumstances. As supernatural as Bonnie is, she's still human as well. I just want you to think…are you _really _right for her? Do you want her life to constantly be on the line so the two of you can play house? I care about, Bonnie and I want her to get out of here and have a real life. That's all. Have fun with your game."

* * *

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

He could pretend all he wanted that he was fine. He could go about life acting a certain way, speaking a certain way, living his life a certain way but when he looked himself in the mirror and looked deep into his own eyes, Stefan immediately wanted to avoid his reflection.

He had the world right in the palm of his hand but like with most people took certain liberties for granted. Bonnie loved him despite of his deficiencies, never once asked him to stop being who he was at heart, didn't really have unattainable expectations because at the heart of everything she understood his character best.

She didn't lie to herself about who he was. She was aware of his past, and his present, and as much as she may not like the facts which surrounded him, she dealt with it in her own right and kept it in its place.

Despite all of this, there was a part of Stefan that still felt unworthy of her.

Watching her now surrounded by her friends, smiling and laughing and putting the entire incident behind her, as calm as he should have felt, he felt the complete opposite.

He was irritable, antsy, ill-tempered, did he mention irritable all tied in with his hunger, and it would only be a matter of time before he snapped.

Stefan tossed back a shot.

He circled the room eyeing the bouncing bodies of people he once considered friends or loose acquaintances. They were all here to celebrate Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena's acceptance into college. It was a happy and momentous occasion but Stefan did not feel like celebrating. Not when he was hungry at least and not when he was pissed off.

But for Bonnie he'd put on the pretense of being the happy and gushing boyfriend because his girl got accepted into a prestigious university. Stefan hadn't bothered to apply anywhere. Being a high school student was his cover. He could follow Bonnie to Duke if he so choose, but Ric's conversation about giving Bonnie the chance to have a real future kept nick-picking him.

Yes, he wanted the best for Bonnie that was without question.

But could he do the honorable thing and let her move on without him?

Hell no.

Call him a pig. Call him selfish. Call him a liar. It didn't matter. Making not only himself happy but Bonnie happy was all he cared about.

Sure he could understand Ric's weariness about his sincerity. He was under compulsion. No one ever let him forget it. But Stefan still woke up everyday and made his own damn decisions. He didn't need someone to tell him to love Bonnie—he did. And he didn't need anyone to remind him that he could lose it all if the compulsion is broken—that was his cross to bear.

Yet he couldn't hide who he was, not even from himself.

Stefan saddled up behind Bonnie and pulled her away from Matt and Dana and Dana's cousin. He swung Bonnie around and boldly planted his hands on her ass. They began to sway to the music.

"How much longer before this thing is over?" he asked while making his eyebrows jump up and down.

Bonnie giggled. She knew what he was really asking her. "Maybe in an hour or two."

"Good. I have plans for the two of us and no they don't involve clothes."

Bonnie rolled her eyes but felt her temperature spike. Her body had been too sore for any "fun" activities and at night Stefan hadn't been able to hold her like she had gotten used to because he had a tendency to forgot about how much pressure to use.

"Is that all you think about when you're with me?"

"No," then he whispered in her ear the other thoughts he had about her. Bonnie smacked his shoulder and then found herself kissing him as if they were the only two people in the room.

Stefan began to pull her away from the crowd, down to the hallway which led to the library. They got lost in a small room and then he was on his knees, removing her underwear and hiking her leg over his shoulder.

Twenty minutes later, Bonnie hobbled her way out of the room feeling flushed yet hungry. She walked silently beside Stefan who was busy licking his fingers.

She was spending a lot of time at the refreshments table, Damon thought as he sipped beer. He hated beer it had no…personality is the word he guess he'd use to describe what was missing. To him beer was a poor man's drink. You can't afford a hundred year old bottle of whiskey, bourbon, or brandy, buy some beer or box wine—problem solved.

He had a very discriminatory palate but would suck it up and make due with what he was given. Not that he enjoyed it all that much. And yeah, even he could say alcohol was alcohol and it wasn't like he could get drunk anyways. Damon just liked the burn of it going down.

He thought of all that while watching Bonnie polish off her second plate of food. She began with chips and dip, but then disappeared into the kitchen for a gallon of ice cream and at first started to scoop out a bowl and then proceeded to eat straight from the carton.

Lately she said the medicine she was prescribed to help keep her blood pressure down made her ravenously hungry.

Bonnie had never been a salad and bread kind of girl—that he could say he admired about her. She liked food and big portions. But now… from the way she was inhaling almost everything on the table…it was giving him a funny feeling.

"Hey."

Damon blinked and found himself staring into a pair of doe-brown eyes. Eyes he used to crave would stare at him full of love instead of distrust and suspicion.

"Elena," he said dryly and finished off the beer in his red plastic cup.

Elena handed him another one. He accepted it and held it up in cheers.

Feeling awkward and behaving more than a little stiff, Elena shifted positions until she stood next to Damon leaning up against the desk he was currently seated on.

"How've you been?"

"Spectacular," he answered and swallowed a large gulp of beer. He belched loudly. That was the other reason why he couldn't stand drinking beer.

"Damon…I never apologized to you over what happened…"

"There's no need, Elena, but…thanks I guess," he snorted.

Elena flipped her hair over her shoulder and fidgeted a little. "I could have handled things a lot better than I did. I want you to know…I still care about you…and I won't insult you by saying I hope we can be friends…but…I didn't mean to hurt you or lead you on."

Damon finally brought his panty-melting ice-blue eyes on her. Elena had forgotten how it felt to be under his scrutiny. She swallowed thickly.

"You know…the only thing I regret about us getting together isn't the fact it was over before it really began, but that for so long I held out hope that you'd see me the way I saw you, and you'd open up those pretty brown eyes of yours and realize I was the better choice." He shrugged. "But even I can admit to being _wrong _occasionally, and say you just don't do it for me anymore."

Damon hopped down off the desk and handed Elena the half-empty cup. "You live and you learn. Congratulations on getting into college, Elena. And I mean that from the bottom of my little black heart."

Elena tracked Damon's movements as he headed over to the refreshments table and began speaking with Bonnie. He said something that made her laugh, and Elena almost felt her heart stop when Damon wiped something off Bonnie's face, took that same finger and put it in his mouth.

Her eyes began to search for Stefan.

An hour or two later the party ended and Damon knew he'd be stuck with clean up duty.

"Stefan you have to take him home," Bonnie was saying.

"Why can't Caroline do it?" he argued.

Caroline strolled by. There was a tall, dark and handsome guy waiting for her by the door. The night hadn't been a total dud. Dana's out-of-town cousin had stopped by to pay her a visit. Now Caroline was on her way to "get to know him better".

"Because Caroline has an after party to get to. Goodnight," she kissed Bonnie's cheek, looked Stefan up and down and smiled as she strolled over to her date.

Stefan sneered, sighed, and jacked Matt to his feet. The boy smelled as if he fell into a vat of rubbing alcohol.

"If you puke in my car…" Stefan said threateningly as he dragged Matt none-too-gently out of the boardinghouse.

Bonnie closed the front door and then looked around at the destruction of the living room. It was hard to believe fifteen people could cause such destruction. This had been intended as a small, private affair. Not so by the red plastic cups that were littered everywhere. Damon was already hard at work tidying up.

Slipping off her heels, Bonnie began to help him clean.

"Thanks for not bailing on me," Damon said.

"I live here, too," she reminded him. "And no I don't want to live in a pig sty."

Wordlessly they threw away all the trash, took dishes into the kitchen that would be tackled in the morning. Damon broke out the vacuum cleaner and Bonnie was stuck sweeping.

"There's still plenty of cake left."

At the mention of cake Bonnie felt her stomach rumbling. "I could use another slice."

"Haven't you eaten enough?"

"I'm still growing," Bonnie said in a high-pitched voice.

Damon chuckled as he began to cut fat slices of cake for him and Bonnie. He handed her a paper plate, took his and the two picked up their slices and paused at the same time.

Damon held his slice out to her.

"You better not ram that into my face," Bonnie's eyes narrowed. Damon tried to look innocent and failed miserably.

"On three," he said.

Bonnie led the count, and right when the cake brushed up against her lips, she found it being smashed into her nose. She squealed and tried to retaliate by throwing her slice at Damon, who thanks to having grasshopper like reflexes ducked. The cake ended up painting the wall.

"You are such a dick," Bonnie said as she wiped vanilla frosting off her face and wiped her fingers clean.

Damon had a snarky comment ready like you love my dick, but he remembered who he was dealing with and kept his mouth shut. Instead he picked up two champagne flutes and poured the golden liquid into them. He held one out to Bonnie after all traces of frosting had been removed from her face. She accepted the glass and stared up at him.

"Congratulations on getting into college. May your future be exceedingly bright."

"Are you being sarcastic right now?"

Damon rolled his eyes. He needed to improve on his conversational skills if no one could tell when he was being serious.

"No, I'm not. I'm attempting to be…encouraging."

Bonnie giggled. "Well, I guess it's a lot better than being an ass, so thank you, Damon."

They tapped their glasses together. The carbonated bubbles flew up her nose and Bonnie sneezed after taking her sip.

"I really do appreciate everything you've done for me this year."

"What are friends for?" he winked at her. "And right back at you…the whole appreciation thing…if it weren't for you being able to commune with the witches of Eastwick…I might be dead."

"No, you would be dead," Bonnie clarified. "But you're welcome."

Sharing a toast with Damon felt a little surreal to Bonnie. So she quickly got back to work cleaning up. They worked together in companionable silence until Stefan returned twenty minutes later. He flashed over to Bonnie, swept her off her feet and disappeared in their bedroom.

Her dress was being unzipped before she could get a word out, and in the next minute, she was on the bed straddling him.

"A little anxious are we?" she asked as she leaned over him and pecked his lips.

"It's been almost two weeks."

"I know… a lifetime for you," she smiled. "You know with me going away it can change everything."

Stefan looked off to the side. He so wasn't in the mood for this discussion. However, Bonnie was so taking his chin in her hands she forced him to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

"I just don't want to think about the future. I'm a live-in-the-moment kind of guy."

"I get that but graduation is in three months…and then…"

"You'll be gone."

Silence grew all around. Bonnie lied down on Stefan's chest. They had time but not a lot of it. Stefan could only hear Alaric's reprimand in his ear.

Just then Stefan wanted nothing more than blood. He needed his fix to get over the discomfort churning through his belly at the onset of thinking about Bonnie no longer being in his life.

Certainly when he showed up on her doorstep wanting to drink from her, none of what was transpiring between them floated through his mind. He honestly didn't think he'd want to see her or be around her the next day, but feeling her body, listening to her soft moans of pleasure as he touched her, ignited something within. He couldn't part with her, slap her on the ass, and tell her to go make something of herself. He had found a diamond in the rough; there was no way he could simply let her go.

But the future was pressing down on him, and Alaric was right. Stefan had a duty to Klaus. His lip curled as he thought about him, and then…if they all survived and he and Bonnie moved on to North Carolina, Stefan could offer marriage, but not a family.

But then again…they were teenagers…why did they need to think about that crap right now? They weren't Bella and Edward.

They were young, having fun, and filled with…

"What are we going to do, Stefan?" Bonnie's question interrupted his thoughts.

He sighed. "I have no idea."

Chapter end.


	24. One Fell Swoop

**A/N: Sorry it's taken a bit longer for me to post this chapter. Life got in the way. I'll try to update at least twice week from here on out. Thanks for your patience. **

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Mystic Grill**

Something was definitely wrong with him. He came to this conclusion based on the fact there was a woman dancing by the jukebox, tossing her long raven hair around, giving him come-hither looks with eyes the same incandescent blue as his, yet he couldn't order his feet to move in her direction and take her up on the offer she was blatantly throwing his way. And you want to know the reason for Damon's inability to act?

He was seated across the booth from Bonnie watching her devour a plate full of jalapeno nachos as if there was no tomorrow. Typically Bonnie had table manners, but today for some reason the girl was eating as if this were a national competition or something.

Damon looked over at Stefan who sipped on a cup of coffee as if this was the most normal thing in the world. Clearly his brother was too amused by the fact his little sweetie could put away the food and not gain an ounce in fat.

Bonnie was done with her appetitizer—not even coming up for air long enough to offer them some nachos—in less than five minutes looking satisfied but not satiated. She began working on the double stuff potato skins.

"Those were delicious," Bonnie sang the praises of the chef and smiled at her boyfriend who winked back at her.

Bonnie wiped her hands clean and took a sip of her soda. She looked across the table at Damon. "You need a girlfriend."

He almost sucked his shot of whiskey up the nose at her frank and matter-of-fact comment. Damon wiped the dribble of alcohol off his chin, and gawked at Bonnie.

"Come again?"

"You heard me," she said and bit into a potato skin. "For all intents and purposes you're supposed to be what…twenty-eight, twenty-nine years old and you've yet to have a serious girlfriend. The people of this town talk, and this is the south where a guy like you is supposed to be married with two kids already and a third on the way, getting up every morning to go to his eight to five job. Oh, and that's another thing…you need a job."

Damon couldn't say anything; he was rendered completely and utterly speechless. Where in the world was _this _coming from? He looked at Stefan who was no help at all, merely chuckled and sipped on his coffee that should have been lukewarm by now.

"Stefan will you please remind your girlfriend to mind her own business."

"I don't speak for Bonnie. She's proven to me on numerous occasions that she can speak for herself. You're on your own, Damon."

Damon tossed his hands in the air. He knew he never should have agreed to have dinner with them in the first place if this was a set-up intervention or something.

Damon could handle them criticizing his drinking or his penchant for wearing black, but his dating life…uh-un that was not an option.

That was the thing with couples, Damon reminded himself. Once people were domesticated and in love they systematically began to go through all the people they knew who were single and tried their hand at matchmaking.

He glared at Bonnie.

She merely popped another potato skin in her mouth. "That lady has been giving you the eye all night and you haven't so much as smirked in her direction. What the hell's the matter with you?"

The vamp snorted. "Never knew you cared so much about my sex life, Bon."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink. "You can get laid anytime anywhere, we all know this," she shook her head. "I'm talking about having something _real_ with someone. Not just a fling or a pointless one night stand."

The waitress returned with Bonnie entrée and her eyes lit up like it was the Fourth of July.

"Where are you putting all this food?" Damon asked.

Stefan rubbed Bonnie's back and attempted to pluck a piece of broccoli from her plate, but caught a jab in the ribs by her pointy elbow.

"Order your own," she said brusquely and liberally added A-1 steak sauce to her grilled cow hide. Bonnie cut an edible piece of her steak, skewered it with her fork, and slid the morsel into her mouth. She chewed slowly and moaned a little.

"Everything just tastes so good," she said, and then jabbed her fork in Damon's direction. "You need a job and a girlfriend preferably in that order. Or…you'll be that old dead guy in the bar who drinks by himself and shouts out things randomly. And you don't want to be that guy, Damon."

Damon stared at Bonnie for a moment and then at Stefan before casting his eyes back to the woman who was trying to optically seduce him or screw him. How sad he couldn't tell the difference anymore. As he boldly gazed at her, he could admit he felt a small attraction towards her. She was beautiful with unblemished creamy skin with hair as black as night and eyes as blue as a methane flame.

What did he stand to lose? She might have buck teeth or a deep country accent where he might question her intelligence, or maybe she had a hairy back. But…he wouldn't know until he tried.

"I'll be back…or maybe not." Damon slid out of the booth and approached the woman.

The minute he was gone, Stefan occupied Damon's seat and stared at his girlfriend.

"What?" Bonnie asked.

"What was that all about? Are you on some secret mission to get Damon to the altar?"

Bonnie shrugged and ate another bite of her steak. "We're not going to be in Mystic Falls for much longer. What is he going to do with the rest of his undead life? He can't follow you around all the time."

"Let Damon worry about Damon," Stefan said. "He's proven he can moderately take care of himself."

"I know that…but he needs something else to do than pseudo-run the Council, get on Ric's nerves, and be a pest to everyone else he knows."

Stefan didn't like this. Bonnie was beginning to sound like Elena when she first began to warm up to Damon. Wanting to fix his problems. Wanting to include him on things to make him feel good about himself. Wanting to be his personal cheerleader because Damon treated everyone he encountered like shit and because of it hadn't earned himself a single friend. And he knew exactly what happened as a result of it. Damon fell in love with Elena. Now Damon could…

Bonnie stopped eating when she realized Stefan had grown as quiet as a grave. When she looked into his eyes they were flat and soulless. Stefan had _never_ looked at her that way, not even on the first night he showed up on her doorstep. She gulped down nervously. Bonnie didn't need anyone to tell her she stepped in it.

"Stefan…"

He held up a hand to silence her. Bonnie couldn't feel more dismissed. "I don't want him…Damon doesn't need fixing or improving for that matter and it shouldn't be your responsibility to make sure he gets the rehabilitation everyone around this gotdamn place thinks he needs."

"Stefan…contrary to what you think I'm not trying to fix Damon. I'll leave that to people like Alaric, like Elena, like whoever he encounters because I don't want that responsibility on my hands. But he is my friend and I was just sharing my concerns for him."

Stefan snorted. To his ears it sounded like she was trying to run his life. Damon shouldn't even be a factor into her equation because she had him and he was a handful, everyone knew that.

"Why are you trying to pick a fight with me?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Before I was kidnapped this conversation wouldn't have made a blip on your radar, now all of a sudden because I say two nice things to Damon I automatically want to be his right-hand girl?"

"This isn't a conversation we need to have here," Stefan said lowly as some people from school walked by their table and stared at them strangely.

"Well, you're the one who brought it up." Bonnie sat her fork and knife down. She folded her arms over the table. Her face stern. "What's really bothering you? Is it school? Are you…hungry… what?"

At the mention of being hungry, Stefan felt his thirst flare to life. His jaw ticked. But he gathered his thoughts before answering.

"I didn't tell you about the conversation I had with Alaric," Stefan began, "he basically told me I needed to let you decide what you want to do with your future. He said if we stayed together I'd be robbing you of the opportunity to have a husband, kids, to get the hell out of Mystic Falls," he grew quiet. "And maybe he's right."

Bonnie felt her chest tighten. "He said those things to you because I got accepted into Duke."

"Yeah, but he's right as much as it pains me to say it. I don't want to hold you back."

"And you aren't."

"Not right now…but Bonnie…I can't…I can never give you the kind of life you deserve."

"Stefan…" it was getting harder for her to talk, "we're not going there. We're teenagers…we don't need to decide the next twenty years of our lives. And when it's time to make those decisions, it'll be between Stefan and Bonnie and no one else. You hear me?"

He stared at her, his fierce expression softening. Stefan reached for her hand over the table. Bonnie laced their fingers together.

"Yeah, I hear you."

* * *

He heard her all right, but that didn't stop the hunger. Knowing his future however diluted it might be at this point was pretty much intact couldn't quell a doggone thing. Stefan's throat was burning; his muscles were coiled tight like bed springs, and he couldn't stop eyeing people like they were a two-piece combo from Kentucky Fried Chicken. Finger lickin' good.

If he didn't feed into his habit his irritation would be off the freakin' charts. He would become the three C's: callous, cold, and calculating.

When they returned to the boardinghouse—sans Damon—it had taken Bonnie no time to fall asleep. For a moment Stefan was worried about how often Bonnie slept. He noticed that she would be out the minute he drove them home from school and she'd sleep late into the night, wake up to finish her homework and it would take him literally dragging her out of bed at six in the morning to get ready for school. Typically Bonnie was the morning person between them, but lately it was like if you left her idle for five minutes or more she'd have a senior moment and it'd be next to impossible to wake her up.

He was sure it was all tied into the fact that their holiday was busy leading to a crazy adrenaline filled New Years, sending back ghosts including her grandmother, and being kidnapped that exhaustion had finally caught up with her.

But Bonnie had always been the resilient type. She didn't buckle under pressure; she was actually at her best when things were caving in, but lately it was like she was a zombie working off exhaust fumes.

And don't get him started on her appetite. Just last week alone he spent close to three hundred dollars on their grocery bill. You would have thought he was shopping for a family of six, not a lone human who was a girl at that.

But whatever. She was his sweet pea, and whatever sweet pea wanted, sweet pea got.

Stefan watched her sleep like a content angel for a second before kissing her cheek and disappearing.

He was on the south end of town purchasing six blood red roses. The florist girl blushed when he paid her a compliment, and though she smelled pretty good, her blood wasn't what he was looking for tonight.

There were six women in this town who were Rh negative. And he was determined to find each and every single one of them.

The first one wasn't hard to find. The first time he got a whiff of her blood is when he casually strolled down Main and passed the hospice center. She was a nurse so giving up a blood donation shouldn't be too much of a stretch for her.

Stefan knew the exact time her shift ended. He may have watched her for a day or two. He knew she drove a late model Hyundai and that she lived alone. She was the perfect candidate to be vampire food.

Approaching her wasn't difficult. She was in a profession where she had to be open and friendly with people, not automatically suspicious. So when Stefan presented her with a rose, singing her praises for helping those pass on to eternity that had no family around, she blushed mightily. He almost didn't have to use compulsion to get her to agree to let him tap a vein.

He sank his teeth into her skin, through the fat, and muscles, getting to the veins below, dissecting them with his sharpened canines.

Her blood was potent and flavorful, just as he expected, but the taste of her skin reminded him of death and decay which wasn't surprising considering where she worked.

It was a bit of a turn off and as consequence he was still hungry. On to the next one.

The blood fueled all of his emotions—the good along with the bad and the more he drank the more he wanted to drink. It became a frenzy of stalking, searching, toying with, and chasing to get his fill.

By the end of the night, he was out of roses, but the chip hadn't even budged from his shoulder.

"Shit!" he exclaimed in frustration.

Supernatural blood, Stefan thought. He needed supernatural blood.

* * *

**March**

Bonnie was upstairs in the Salvatore library attempting to study for her upcoming math exam, but a delicious scent coming from the kitchen began to tickle her nose and as a consequence her stomach began to growl…loudly.

For as long as she could, she tried to ignore the tantalizing scent of lemons, and melting butter, and whatever other sinful thing Damon was whipping up on the stove. When her stomach protested loudly for the second time in only thirty seconds her concentration was totally blown. Sighing, Bonnie threw her open textbook off her lap and traipsed downstairs to investigate.

Padding softly downstairs, Bonnie crossed the massive living room and entered the kitchen.

Damon was baking up a storm from what her eyes could see. On the counter there were eggs, flour, a rolling pin, a baking dish, a massive stirring bowl, and a dozen other different industrial appliances and utensils.

With a dish towel thrown over his shoulder, when he turned around Bonnie giggled because there was a wealth of flour decorating the end of his nose.

His eyes flashed up to look at her and narrowed.

"Something funny?" he asked in that irritating tone.

Bonnie walked up to the kitchen island and rested her elbows on the tiled surface. She tapped her own nose twice and wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"Either you have a coke habit no one knows about or the flour tried to slap your face off."

Damon snorted and wiped his nose clean with the back of his hand. "Crap" he exclaimed dramatically. **"**On dirait bien que je dois retourner en cure de désintox'**" (Looks like I need to check back into rehab)**

Bonnie stared at him strangely for a second. **"**Depuis quand tu parles Français toi?"**(Since when did you start speaking French?)**

Damon lost his eyebrows to his hairline as a Cheshire cat grin spread across his face. He put the mixing bowl down and began to squeeze lemon juice into a blender.

"You forget my family is old school and being fluent in different languages meant you were a gentleman."

"Right, and how did that work out for you?" she teased.

Damon smiled. "As you can see I need more work."

Bonnie inspected what he was doing, her curiosity and hunger getting the best of her. "What are you cooking?"

"I'm not cooking, I'm baking," he corrected. "I'm preparing a délicieux **(delicious) **lemon soufflé. It's going to be an explosion de saveur **(explosion of flavor)** that'll que tu ne vas pas y croire!" **(make you want to slap your mother)**

Bonnie looked impressed. "Are you having company over or something?"

"Mais quelle fouineuse celle-là." **(Aren't we being** **nosy)**

"Stop talking about me in French please."

Damon smirked and continued to whip up the batter. "No, I'm not having company over...tonight that is."

Bonnie's eyebrows arched. "So I'm guessing that girl from the Grill...you actually hit off with her?"

Damon made a vague motion with his shoulders. It was unusual for him to keep mum about something.

"If you're going to stare at me the least you can do is help," he said after being under her intense scrutiny.

"What do you need me to do? I've never prepared a lemon soufflé before."

Damon crooked his finger for her to come closer. Bonnie crossed to the other side of the island and stood beside Damon.

He began to speak softly almost seductively. "I need you to whisk the hot milk into the yolk mixture on the stove until its smooth. And while you're doing that I'll be beating les oeufs **(eggs)** and la levure **(cream)**" The two got busy on their individual tasks. Damon looked over his shoulder at Bonnie.

"When did you learn to speak French, Judgey?"

"Au lycée**,**" **(In school)** she replied. "And I've been taking private lessons for a few months because there's a strong possibility I might be going to Switzerland sometime over the summer if I win this music scholarship."

"Ah ouais vraiment? Et tu crois que ton chien de garde va te laisser partir sans sa permission?" **(Oh, really and is your guard dog going to let you disappear without his permission?)**

Bonnie swung around to face Damon, her face stony. "Ce n'est mon chien de garde." **He is not my** **guard dog) "**And I don't need his permission to move forward with my life."

"You know he's gonna flip his shit when he finds out."

Bonnie shrugged her shoulder. "Stefan est libre de faire ce qu'il veut, et je ne lui appartient pas."**(Stefan can do what he wants; he doesn't own me.)**

Damon approached her barely leaving any room between his body and hers. "I beg to differ on the matter."

"Well, it's a good thing I don't care about your opinion. Allez maintenant pousse-toi que je puisse finir ça." **(Now,** **step off so I can finish this)**

He smirked and returned to what he was doing. But now there was a new development and one that made Damon feel funny like he did when he found out Bonnie had been accepted into college. So if she won the scholarship she wouldn't be spending her final summer in Mystic Falls, she would be in another country, across the ocean, several thousand miles away.

Don't get him wrong, he was happy for Bonnie. Because of all of the crap she went through this year if anyone deserved some R&R it was her.

But was she _that _hard up for cash she'd sign up to spend a summer in Switzerland as part of a scholarship program?

Dig a little deeper, Damon thought.

"So is the scholarship the _only _reason why you'd sign-up to spend the summer in Switzerland?"

Bonnie looked at him over her shoulder. "What other reason would there be?"

"Oh, I don't know...running away from life, responsibilities...certain people?"

Bonnie kept whisking the mixture. "Damon...as likeable as you are it's not enough to get me to stay here if I win. It's the opportunity of a lifetime. And I won't pass it up."

"I know...but you can't blame a man for trying."

Wiping her hands clean, Bonnie faced Damon again. "Would you be honest with me if I asked you a serious question?"

Damon, too, stopped what he was doing. "Depends on the question."

"Would you feel like I was abandoning _you_ if I left and never looked back?"

He searched her eyes for a moment. "No. Every bird needs to fly out the cage. Even I know that."

Bonnie stared at him searching for deception. "Okay," she said after finding nothing. "We have a dessert to finish."

When Damon turned back to the blender, it was a little hard to swallow. Was that the fattest lie he told this year so far?

* * *

**Two days later...**

Gads…Elena hadn't been to the boardinghouse alone in a very long time. As familiar as the place used to feel to her, she felt alien and out of place. This was no longer her and the Salvatore's thinking lair…Bonnie had replaced her as the girl they went to endless bounds to protect.

So that pegged the question of why she was there.

Elena couldn't exactly answer that. She woke up suddenly with the urge to get to the boardinghouse as soon as possible, but it was in the middle of the night, and to show up on their doorstep out of the blue would have raised a lot of questions and eyebrows.

Besides what would she have said if Stefan or God forbid Damon had answered the door? Stefan probably would have laughed in her face before slamming the door, and Damon probably wouldn't have answered to begin with.

Elena had never been dissed and dismissed by any guy in her life—or not since she grew boobs and awesome Rapunzel like hair. So to have to stand there beside Damon while he blatantly told her she didn't do it for him anymore, felt worse than taking a knife to the chest. Damon was entitled to his feelings, Elena knew that, but it was still a bit of a shock to see how his obsession and love for her diminished into nothing.

She had lost the love of both Salvatore boys, and at one point that would have been a much welcomed relief, now Elena couldn't escape feeling as if she lost her identity.

Perhaps her showing up at the boardinghouse was her way of gaining it back.

She straightened her shoulders and rung the door bell.

The wait was excruciating.

After a moment or two the front door swung open. "Elena? What are you doing here?"

Elena ran her eyes over Stefan. His eyes were wild and glassy, and when she looked closely at the collar of his shirt, she saw it was dotted with rust-colored splotches.

She knew immediately what that meant. This was the reason she had been summoned here by an invisible force, or maybe it was nature or fate. Stefan was teetering on the deep end again.

"You're a mess," she began without preamble. "How many, Stefan?"

He scoffed, licked his lips and looked away. "I'm sorry, but you've lost me."

"In more ways than one. But from your appearance it's plain to see what you've been up to. Binging." Elena stepped inside the boardinghouse, giving Stefan no choice but to walk backwards.

He laughed derisively. "I guess I'm in store for Lexi Part II."

* * *

It was one of those rare occasions that Bonnie was home alone. Stefan didn't want her at her house if he wasn't there, but he said there was something he had to take care of after school, and he'd swing by her place later. Bonnie was grateful he had something else to do because this gave her privacy. And she'd definitely need privacy for this.

Bonnie eyed the box in her hands, eyed the toilet, stared down at the box again, before looking at herself in the mirror. She felt bile tickle her throat, but she coughed and forced it back down. It was just a simple test, a test millions of women the world over took. It wasn't hard. But _this _test would probably be the first one Bonnie wholeheartedly wanted to fail.

Damon had been making not-too-subtle comments about her weight gain and appetite. Bonnie ignored him. When she went shopping with Caroline at Target in the next town over with the intent to get school supplies for college, Caroline drove their buggy to the miniature human department.

Was everyone around her trying to drop hints? Because if they were, she didn't need them.

Her finger slid under a flap and had managed to work a corner up, but then she stopped. "I can't do this," she said feeling her heart accelerate. And if she was about to do this…she wanted someone with her.

But who could she call who could keep this a secret?

Her options were extremely limited.

Water began to line the bottom of her eyes.

Bonnie stared at herself and did what she does best…avoid. So she hid the box in the back of a drawer filled with feminine hygiene products, cut off the lights, and closed the door after her.

She wasn't ready for that. She didn't want to know, but she already knew. She needed to speak with Stefan.

* * *

Bonnie got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach when she saw Elena's car parked outside the boardinghouse. She waited a moment before exiting her vehicle wishing for once she had the hearing of a vampire to know which vampire it was that Elena came to see.

Her feeling of uneasiness doubled as she walked along the brick path and opened the front door as quietly as she could.

There were sounds coming from the living room but she couldn't see anyone. Tentatively she walked down the short corridor until she was standing in the living room. Her eyes zeroed in on her boyfriend sucking his ex-girlfriend's neck while standing next to the wet bar.

Now would be the time to gasp, scream, shout, cry, fart do something Bonnie!

But it was like she was frozen kind of like watching someone crash their car into the back of an eighteen wheeler. You didn't want to look but you couldn't help but look knowing what the end results would be.

So she merely studied them. Elena was facing her, so the look on her face was…rapturous? Content? Blissful? Bonnie had first-hand experience with the good and bad way a vampire can feed on a human. Her throat had been viciously ripped into while her blood was drained out of her the first time. And then she had a vampire's bite that felt deeper than a mouth-to-mouth kiss. It was erotic.

From the looks of things, Elena was experiencing the latter.

"Ste_-FAN_…" Bonnie growled.

Her boyfriend stiffened and ejected his fangs from Elena's neck and slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder.

Elena gasped and grabbed the side of her bleeding neck. Her eyes went wide with panic.

"Elena, you should go," Stefan said quietly. The brunette didn't need to be told twice, but she did stop long enough to look imploringly at Bonnie who kept her heated glare on Stefan.

"Bonnie…I'm so sorry it wasn't what it looked like."

Bonnie's tone was like sharpened icicles, "You. Need. To. Leave."

Elena felt each word stab her all over.

Neither Stefan nor Bonnie moved a muscle until the front door closed with a resounding click.

_Bring him to his knees, girl _the devil sitting on Bonnie's right shoulder advised.

Stefan clasped his hands together like he was in prayer. Un-hun he was going to need a priest when she was done with him.

"Baby…listen…she came over here and I was…hungry…I needed blood or I would have gone out…"

Bonnie held up a hand imperiously. "I don't want to hear it, Stefan. You were drinking, _drinking _Elena's blood. Have you forgotten who that is? What she used to mean to you? How the two of you used to be? Have you forgotten those words you said to me that your blood is my blood, and my blood is your blood. You should have brought your ass to me, Stefan!"

"Baby I wanted to but I just…I didn't want to hurt you by taking too much."

"Lame."

Stefan jammed the heels of his hands in his eyes. "DO YOU THINK THIS IS EASY FOR ME?"

Bonnie looked affronted. "Um, who are you getting loud with?"

Stefan stomped his way to her until there was less than a foot of space between them. Bonnie felt herself being distracted by the blood coated between his teeth. Her stomach flipped.

"Move away from me, Stefan."

He ignored her warning. "Everyday is torture. Walking around feeling hungry all the damn time. I try to manage it as best I can but it's next to impossible."

"You aren't fighting hard enough," she criticized.

"I am," he growled. "You have no idea how many times I stare at you in the middle of the night wanting to drain every last drop of your blood. But I don't because I love you."

Bonnie rolled her eyes yet shivered a bit after that particular revelation. Creepy. "Yeah, and if that's so, love should have brought your ass to me, Stefan. My blood is…"Bonnie stopped as realization dawned on her. "Supernatural blood…it's the only blood strong enough to curb your bloodlust."

"Yes," he sighed. Finally they were getting somewhere.

"But to drink from Elena…"

"So what?" he snapped. "If a unicorn magically poofed into this room right now I'd probably drain it dry. I know you aren't going to pull this jealousy shit with me."

Her eyes widened and the lights began to flicker. "Excuse _me_," her tone dripped acid. "I know this isn't the pot trying to call the kettle black. You are the king of possessiveness, pig-headedness, and YES jealously. You get jealous over everything. If a guy holds the door open for me and smiles you're ready to take his head off."

"Whatever," he said dismissively. "Me drinking Elena's blood is no different than you running to Damon and having him look into your personal crisis."

Was he really trying to go there with her?

"I know you are not trying to go _there _with me. Those are not mutually exclusive things and you know it, Stefan. Not once did I go to Damon because I had an itch that needed to be scratched."

"Yeah, and I'm sure since you two are so tight now you wouldn't have any objections to that."

"Are you trying to imply something?" her eyes narrowed.

Now it was just the blood talking, but Stefan was too high to care. "If you weren't so desperate for attention the night I showed up on your doorstep…and it was Damon instead you would have spread your legs for my brother just as easily as you did for me."

Stefan should have known this was going to happen, but it was still a shock when a force slammed into his chest careening him backwards through the stained glass window. He crash landed almost six feet in the ground outside.

Damon was the one who found him, and pulled him out of the earth. "What did you do?"

He couldn't even look at him. "I probably signed my death certificate and…lost the best thing to ever happen to me in one fell swoop."

* * *

Bonnie was on her hands and knees puking in Caroline's toilet. After leaving the boardinghouse in a fit of tears, she raced over to the other side of town. When Caroline answered the door and took one look at her distraught features, she wordlessly rushed her inside and tried to pry the story out of Bonnie, but she couldn't make out everything through her racking sobs, but Caroline got the gist of it.

Bonnie had caught Stefan drinking from Elena, and instead of apologizing and asking for forgiveness while kissing her feet, he threw her friendship with Damon in her face and then basically called her an attention-deprived whore.

There were several reasons why one did not want to get on Caroline's bad side. She could beat you up, drain you dry, or snap your neck. On a good day she could do all three at the same time.

When Caroline saw Stefan he was a dead, dead man. Shoot, she might go looking for him right now. No one hurt her friends and lived to tell the tale and that wasn't bullshit that was the truth!

She was downstairs pouring Bonnie a glass of water but dropped the glass when an ear-splitting scream rang through the air.

"BONNIE!"

Caroline flashed her way to her bathroom where she saw Bonnie on the floor, curled up holding her stomach, but that wasn't what had ice flowing through her veins, it was the fact Bonnie was lying in a pool of her own blood.

Hesitantly Caroline approached her, tramping down the temptation to bite because this was Bonnie and she was in trouble, serious trouble.

"Bonnie what's going on? What's wrong?"

Bonnie couldn't speak, the pain was too great. "H-h-hospital."

Caroline nodded her head and called 911.

* * *

Stefan wanted to die. For many reasons. He hurt Bonnie. He accused her of being something she never was. He betrayed a private part of their relationship and did so with her best friend whose friendship she had only recently earned back. But most importantly he was verbally abusive towards her something he never would have imagined happening.

Yet it did.

Karma. This all boiled down to karma.

Once he was dug out of the ground by his brother, Damon was the one who received an urgent call from Caroline telling him to tell Stefan he needed to get his ass to the hospital and quick because something was wrong with Bonnie.

Instantly he felt hollow and sick. Had she gotten into a car accident right after their argument? Had she been kidnapped again? Did _she _do something to herself? If it was the latter…Stefan would do the world a favor and walk into the sun without his ring.

There was no way he could live for an eternity knowing that a dumb decision he made and tried to place the blame on her could result in her getting hurt. As if she hadn't been through enough pain the last two years.

Damon had attempted to get more information from Caroline, but all she would say is: Tell Stefan to get his ungrateful bastardly ass to the hospital.

Stefan broke traffic laws, sped through school zones at almost a hundred miles an hour. Ran red lights, cut off cars. He did everything in his power to get to Mystic Falls Hospital Center in less than five minutes.

He walked through the double doors to the emergency ward.

Elena was the first person he saw.

"Where is she?"

The tip of Elena's nose and the rims of her eyes were red all evidence that she had been crying. Her olive skin tone looked bed sheet white.

Stefan felt his stomach bottom all the way down to hell. He could see Bonnie through a sliver of glass that wasn't concealed by blinds.

"She's with the doctor now."

"What happened?" his voice cracked. Tears were welling up in his eyes.

Elena wiped a corner of her eye and shook her head. "She lost…" she got choked up.

Confusion marred Stefan's face as he finally looked at Elena. "Lost what?"

"She…Bonnie was pregnant, Stefan."

_Was_? That was past tense.

Can vampires go into shock? Everything in Stefan shut down: sight, hearing, taste, smell, nothing was working.

Just then the door to the private room opened. Elena turned around to face the doctor. She whispered some words to the doctor who brought her attention on Stefan, but all he could see was Bonnie being helped into her clothes.

"Are you the father?" a feminine voice addressed Stefan.

It took Elena touching his hand to get him to focus again. All the sounds of the hospital came rushing back to his ears.

His jaw moved but no sound came out.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. Bonnie suffered a miscarriage. This sometime's happens with young women in their teens."

"But how…?"

How was she even pregnant to start with? He didn't have sperm…did he?

This wasn't making a lick of sense to Stefan but he understood one thing…he was feeling a profound sense of loss for a life he didn't even know existed until it was gone.

He was going to lose consciousness and never wake up, but he had to be strong for Bonnie. She needed him.

"How far along was she?" his mouth formed the words and he probably spoke them one at a time with a minute long pause in between each.

"She was eight weeks along. She just underwent a D&C procedure. She'll need to rest once she gets back home. Have her schedule a follow up appointment with her primary care physician. Again, I'm sorry for your loss."

A nurse was wheeling Bonnie out of the room.

Her face looked drawn in as if she were trying to hide. Stefan put out a hand for the nurse to stop and he fell down to his haunches to make eye contact with Bonnie.

"Bonnie…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean…"

"I just want to go home, Stefan," her voice sounded gravelly and raw as if she spent a great deal crying and screaming.

He nodded his head and followed the procession out to the front of the hospital.

Alaric was there to escort Bonnie home in his SUV.

The second the nurse applied the brakes on the wheelchair, Stefan scooped Bonnie up into his arms as gently as he could and placed her in the backseat.

Bonnie merely stared ahead—catatonic.

"We're going to get you home," he said to her.

Bonnie didn't respond.

Elena stood outside of Ric's truck. "She's coming home with us, Stefan. Can you pack a bag for her and bring it over?"

He had several objections to that. Bonnie needed to be with him so they could mourn the loss of their…a sob quietly escaped his lips…their child. They would have had a son or a daughter…and the baby would have been half his blood and half her blood but made out of their love…

Just then he wanted to rip something apart to escape that dreadful feeling that was trying to claw its way into his innards.

Alaric caught his eye and the vampire-hunter merely inclined his head as his way of offering condolences. No one had ever expected anything like this to happen. Ever.

Elena, Caroline, and Alaric climbed into the SUV and drove off.

Damon, appearing out of thin air, stood next to his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Whatever you need, Stef…let me know. I'm here for you."

Stefan turned his head to look at his brother. "I need my family…but I lost them both."

Chapter end.

**A/N: I know the first time I posted this, I got mixed reactions. Some where mad about the miscarriage, but if I had gone through with that it would completely alter the direction of where I wanted this story to go, and for myself personally I have issues with Bonnie becoming a teen mom. But thanks for reading guys. Lets keep those reviews coming. It helps to keep me motivated to upload these chapters faster if I know people are reading them. Love you!**


	25. Suspended in the Air

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews for last chapter. Here is the latest! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Increase is a product of progress. Bonnie's powers, with time and practice had expanded like a rubber band, so she could do more than float feathers and light candles. She could bring a thousand year old vampire to his knees, could search the minds of werewolves, could engulf an entire house in flames.

Now…she could affect the weather.

For days it was nothing but a torrential downpour. No one wanted to leave their house. Mystic Falls drew to a standstill until miraculously the clouds parted, the sun beamed, and the puddles were dried up.

Everyone returned to their mundane routine and activities as if nothing was ever wrong in the first place.

How Stefan wished he had that ability to float through life only worrying about paying bills on time, not falling into debt, and living a pretty dull existence.

The sound of his boots scuffling against the hardwood floors of his room magnified just how silent everything was without Bonnie there. Stefan stood underneath the threshold casting his gaze over everything in his room from the bed, to the bureau, to the table that was pushed along the window littered with junk.

Peeking out from under the bed was one of Bonnie's stilettos. He remembered unbuckling the intricate heel with his teeth while she laid there on her back giggling. Just thinking about the sound of her laughter made his ears ring with remembrance. When he inhaled deeply he caught whiffs of her: sunshine, sandalwood, and burning embers. Her scent was enshrined in everything, on every surface, and when he tried hard enough, he could smell her on his skin.

There were a few items of clothing scattered around the floor and though Stefan typically would have left them were they may, he could hear Bonnie's voice harping about being neat and tidy because you knew when company might show up. Hell the boardinghouse was so used to having invited and uninvited guests he and Damon didn't even bother to keep the front door locked. Besides it wasn't like they needed a high-tech security system. Whatever threat entered the premises they were more than equipped to handle it.

Stefan pushed himself forward and stomped his way to the bed. One of his plaid shirts was on the floor and he scooped it up. On the collar was a lip stick stain. He swallowed heavily and tentatively brought the shirt up to his nose and inhaled deeply.

Memories flooded his mind like a mud slide, like an avalanche. Bonnie had wanted to return the favor and give him a hickey although she already knew he didn't bruise—at all, but he didn't stop her from nibbling on his neck.

He chuckled as he thought about the morning she woke up thinking it would be a routine kind of day as she prepared for school in their bathroom. He no longer thought of his room just being _his _room. Since he fell in love with Bonnie and she agreed to spend certain nights with him, it became _their _room. But Bonnie stood in front of the vanity mirror about to brush her teeth when she noticed several bruises around her neck.

When he innocently entered the bathroom, she glared at him, pushed her hair off her shoulders, and pointed at her neck.

"Stefan…?"

He put toothpaste on his toothbrush and stuck it in his mouth before answering. "Yes?"

"Why do I look l lost a fight to a curling iron?"

Stefan inspected the fresh purple and red bruises and shrugged his shoulders. A little concealer should do the trick and when he suggested it, Bonnie almost made him swallow his toothbrush.

That had been the last time since last week that she used violence against him.

He twisted the shirt around his hands. It needed to go in the laundry but he didn't have the heart to wash his shirt or any other piece of clothing that Bonnie wore and/or touched. He didn't want to lose her scent.

He thought fighting the bloodlust was hard, but living without Bonnie, not being able to touch her or see her…it was a freaking nightmare.

However being alone at night was probably the hardest. Since they became an official couple they never spent the night without each other. If she wasn't in his bed, he was in hers.

The threat of tears began to choke him. So many questions hounded and harassed him that Stefan was fairly sure he had gone crazy because one night he did spend a majority of it talking to himself trying to figure something's out.

After the ER doctor told him Bonnie had been six weeks pregnant he mentally replayed the night they conceived. It had to be the week before Bonnie was kidnapped. He remembered that night because right before they went upstairs, Bonnie was out on the terrace sipping hot chocolate while staring up at the moon. He had asked her if she was going to come in, and that's where she remarked that there was a red circle around the moon. Stefan had had no idea about the significance of that, but Bonnie turned to him and said when the moon has a red circle around it anything that was once impossible could become possible.

So apparently he had been filled with some magical sperm and it was all she wrote.

So that answered the question of how Bonnie was able to conceive with him-maybe. The other question that was bothering him was: did she know she was pregnant and had shown up at the boardinghouse to tell him the good news and everything went downhill from there?

Stefan wasn't sure because he was fairly certain Bonnie would have brought it up during their argument. She might have said something like "Well get your check book ready to pay child support." Or "Just my luck I'm having an idiot's baby."

Okay maybe she wouldn't have said _that _but maybe she would have said. "To think I came over here to tell you that the one thing you _never_ thought could happen, _did _happen and we're going to have a child and I find you sucking on your ex-girlfriend's neck."

If she knew and was about to tell him…he couldn't ask her because Bonnie was not speaking to him. And he found out the hard way by bouncing off a shield as he attempted to climb the stairs of the Gilbert house that she put a restraining spell on him, so he couldn't see her either. Now that hurt.

Stefan had lived through unimaginable pain before but nothing could ever explain the magnitude of his grief. He would have been a father.

There was no other being on the face of the planet more special than a child. And to have the knowledge he'd never hold his son or daughter, get to read to him or her, or play with him or her, or merely watch him or her sleep…

Whoever said you don't miss what you have until you don't have it anymore was right. Stefan never imagined himself as a father and didn't have that great of an example of what it took to be a good one to begin with. Giuseppe was a prick, but if the opportunity ever arose to have children Stefan vowed to be the total opposite of his dad.

Now his one opportunity might not ever happen again. That was simply a reality he didn't want to face.

Sheila walked through his legs, hopped up on the bed, and curled herself into a tight ball. She stared at him with an almost accusatory expression on her face if that was possible.

The two creatures stared at one another. "I'm going to get her back."

_Did that cat just roll her eyes at me_, Stefan thought. He approached the bed and leaned over it.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to get our girl back."

She yawned as if to say "Yeah I've heard this shit before."

Stefan could do nothing but shake his head. Talking to a cat…he really must be desperate for someone to talk to if he had to resort to this, but what were his other options? There wasn't another vampire around who could commiserate with him, not even a human. But he meant every word he said to Sheila. Whatever it took, he was going to get Bonnie back. The first step was convincing her not to set his balls on fire upon seeing him. He flicked his eyes at Sheila one final time before picking up the rest of the room.

He was surprised Sheila didn't leave him any tokens of her affection in the form of droppings in his shoes, or using his underwear and shirts to sharpen her claws. In fact this was his first time seeing her since Bonnie…

Stefan trounced those thoughts. He could mourn…just not right now because he needed to convince Bonnie this was something they needed to do together.

Something's were just easier said than done.

* * *

Her friends were beyond worried for her. They were petrified. They could understand the silence. Her refusal to move only when she needed to use the restroom, and her constant sleeping. But they couldn't handle her not eating or drinking.

Seven days ago was when Bonnie suffered a miscarriage and had been discharged from the hospital, and for those seven days it was like the earth stopped moving.

Up was down, down was up, black was gray, and gray was white. Nothing made sense to anyone. It was like whatever madness was playing itself out in Bonnie's mind was manifested through the weather. There were electrical shows that lit the sky all hours of the day and night. Monstrous winds blew at high speeds causing Elena to think the roof to her parents' house was going to be ripped clean off. And it rained so heavily that it became an almost life or death dash just to check the mailbox.

Then suddenly everything returned to the way it had been before. It was still gloomy outside—naturally the sky never officially turned blue just gunmetal gray, and from time to time a strong wind would blow but would only last for a few seconds.

They had achieved the impossible by getting her out of bed and out of the house. She was now on the back patio staring out into nothingness.

Caroline and Elena threw looks at one another afraid to speak their thoughts because they weren't sure how Bonnie would take their suggestions. Right now the girls were whipping up a culinary breakfast that would make any professional chef proud but they might be the only ones eating it.

Caroline lifted her brows and pointedly looked at Elena's cell phone. Elena shook her head and drew her brows together.

The blond sighed, reached across the kitchen island and picked up Elena's phone. Bonnie didn't have super-hearing…Caroline didn't think…so there was a good possibility she might not hear who she was calling.

Damon answered on the next to final ring before his voicemail clicked on.

"How is she?" was the first thing to come out of his mouth.

"She's out of bed so that's progress."

"Blondie," Damon's tone said he hadn't expected to hear Caroline's voice.

Caroline for her part did not utter the retort that was clinging on for dear life to the tip of her tongue. "The next step is to get her to eat and drink, but we don't think she'll be receptive to us. In fact I believe wholeheartedly that Bonnie is sick of me and Elena."

"I don't blame her. You two are increasingly irritating when you want someone to do something."

Eyes rolled, and hands were propped on hips.

"Are you done with the ribbing? The only reason why I'm calling your ass is because I know she doesn't want to see or talk to Stefan. Consider this our olive branch. Now…you might be the only person in this town Bonnie might remotely listen to since she isn't speaking either. How soon can you get over here? Hmm?"

There was silence for a while but Caroline could hear Damon getting up from whatever he was sitting on, and she clearly heard the jingle of his car keys.

"I'm on the way."

The line went dead.

Not ten minutes later the front door to the Gilbert residence opened and closed and Damon was strolling through the kitchen.

The smell of bacon frying and eggs being scrambled caught his attention. If he were still human his saliva glands would have been producing spit like overtime, but the smell only vaguely appealed to Damon.

He first made eye contact with Caroline who was busy at the stove. "Blondie." He then reluctantly forced his gaze on Elena who had some serious bags under her eyes. "Doppelganger. Where is she?"

Elena pointed to the French double doors that led to the patio. "She's been out there all morning."

Damon passed both young women a look and then removed his trusty leather jacket. He spotted a pitcher of orange juice and poured a glass.

"Do you have any ginger ale? Bonnie likes a little ginger ale in her OJ."

Elena moved towards the fridge.

Damon could feel Caroline's eyes on him and he could already hear what she wanted to say to him about knowing what Bonnie prefers but for the moment she was remaining mum.

Elena handed him the unopened bottle of ginger ale and merely watched Damon pour a third of a cup into the OJ. He said not a word to them as he disappeared to the patio.

It was a mild day for March. The temperature soaring to a comfortable fifty-seven degrees. The birds were singing, a few children in the neighborhood were terrorizing one another.

Damon had his attention rapt on the woman standing as still in a statue wearing her best friend's clothes, her long chocolate locks thrown up into a messy knot on the crown of her head.

He purposely strolled over to Bonnie although he was fairly certain she already knew he was there.

"So I heard you were knocked up," Damon began.

Bonnie snapped her head to glare at him, her emerald eyes glowing for a moment. He was fully prepared to be lit on fire or being the victim of a knee-crunching aneurysm, but Bonnie did nothing, merely burned him with the intensity of her eyes.

Silently Damon handed her the glass of orange juice. Bonnie looked down at it and then up at Damon. She turned her head away.

"I haven't seen or bothered you for a whole week so you know you're long overdue to hear a snarky comment."

Silence.

"I can't imagine what you feel. I've never been in your situation before because obviously I'm not a woman…"

Silence.

"But I do know what it feels like to lose something you love. Kids…they never made a blip on my radar and I'm sure that was the last thought on your mind…and out of everyone I know, you Bonnie would have made an excellent kick ass mother. And you will be a mom. I can see it. And I know it. But…this living corpse thing you should leave to the experts."

Damon took a sip of the juice. "Because otherwise what are you accomplishing? I'm not saying you can't be mad at the world—you should be, or that you shouldn't mourn what you lost—you have every right, but you don't have the right to simply give up. That's not the Bonnie I know. You would have sacrificed yourself to save the lives of your friends and I know that fire is still somewhere deep down inside you. And I know it's hard to find it right now, but you have to try. For you. And you only. Your grandmother is right…you are stronger than all of this…and _I'm_ proud of you."

A tear rolled down her cheek. Bonnie turned to look at Damon again. Their eyes met and held. He moved just a tad bit closer.

"So for your future kids…will you..?" he held the glass out to her.

Bonnie dropped her gaze to the glass again. The wind blew, the birds hadn't stopped singing, and Caroline and Elena were peaking out at them through the blinds.

Bonnie woodenly reached over and accepted the glass. She reluctantly brought it up to her lips and took a small, tiny sip.

Damon beamed as if she were a child who just took her first step.

"That's my girl."

More tears rolled down her cheeks and Damon and Bonnie were standing shoulder to shoulder.

"I…" Bonnie began, "I feel so empty, Damon."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"With time you'll feel full again."

Bonnie shook her head in the negative. "I don't think it'll be that easy."

"And that's where you're wrong because sometime's it _can _be that easy."

"I can't bring…my baby back."

Now it was Damon's turn to be silent. He'd just let her talk.

"Vaguely I knew I was pregnant but I didn't want to believe it because the father is a vampire and I'm a witch. Conception shouldn't have been possible, but my baby was magical and then…she was gone like she had never even been there. How am I supposed to accept that?"

Damon had no answer for that and he typically had an answer for everything. "No one says you should," he said after thinking for a moment.

Bonnie grew quiet again. "I feel so guilty. Maybe I hadn't done enough to protect her."

Damon couldn't help but smile as Bonnie referred to her unborn child as a girl. He could definitely picture her raising a mini-Bonnie. But his poor niece would have had Stefan's forehead, of that he was sure.

"You did all that you knew to do, Bonnie. You kept yourself healthy…"

"But I was pregnant when I was kidnapped."

"And you survived that like you do everything else."

"But I couldn't save my child."

Damon shifted until he was standing in front of her. He clasped her by the shoulders. "Bonnie listen to me…circumstances happen sometimes beyond our control or within, you can stand here and drive yourself crazy by going over all the variables as to why this had to happen, but it won't change a thing. And I know that sounds harsh, but you are not to blame for this. This is not your fault. Do you understand me?"

He had firsthand knowledge of how Bonnie liked to shoulder the blame for _everything_. If Elena got a paper cut it was her fault because she failed to have a vision about it. Or Blondie left her head on the school bus, and that was Bonnie's doing because she forgot to call Caroline and remind her not to forget it.

It was enduring, he could say that much. Yet in this case it was irrelevant. No one person was to blame for this.

Bonnie didn't answer. She just cried some more. Damon shifted until he brought her flush against his chest. He blindly reached for the juice to free up her hands which she decided to bring up to her face.

They remained that way for a few minutes before Bonnie pulled back. Damon looked down into her eyes, wiped the tears away with the pads of his thumb.

"Please tell me that helped just a little bit?"

She attempted to smile, it didn't reach her eyes but she did nod her head.

"Good."

Wordlessly they moved back inside the Gilbert house where the kitchen table was laden with food.

Caroline pulled out a chair for Bonnie, but the young woman hesitated before sitting down, reached over and hugged her friend.

"Thanks for putting up with me," Bonnie said and then turned to Elena. She reached out her hand and Elena eagerly took it. "Thanks."

"Bon…"

Bonnie shook her head. She knew Elena was about to apologize for the umpteenth time for allowing Stefan to drink her blood. Bonnie had made it over one obstacle and she wasn't quite ready to face the others just yet. Besides she had more important things to do like eat.

* * *

"How is she?" was the first question Stefan asked Damon the minute he returned from Elena's.

Being as dramatic as ever, Damon slipped off his leather coat, threw it on the back of a chair and strolled over to the wet bar to pour himself the first of many drinks. Stefan's jaw ticked but he knew Damon was his only recourse in hearing news of Bonnie because her friends were on the same Boycott Stefan mindset and wouldn't drop him any bread crumbs.

Although he wasn't quite sure how Elena factored herself into that team when she was just as guilty as he was, but he was done thinking about her entirely. Lord knew that girl caused him enough pain and drama in the past.

"She's…on the mend," Damon said and took a seat in one of the high back chairs. Stefan joined him by sitting on the arm of the sofa.

"Did she talk to you?"

Damon sagely nodded his head. "She's very hurt, Stefan, but with time she'll make it through this like everything else. It's in her blood. Pun fully intended."

"I just wish she'd talk to me or if she doesn't want to talk, yell at me, try to rip my spinal cord from my body, something! This endless silence is the worst."

Damon took a sip of his whiskey. "Well, what did you expect would happen, Stefan? Not only did she catch you drinking Elena's blood straight from the source, but she lost a child. If I were in her shoes I wouldn't want to talk to you either. At least for a couple of years."

Stefan looked at his older brother drolly. "Okay so if you were me…"

"Thank God I'm not."

The younger Salvatore growled. "If you were me how would you fix this?"

"It would take a lot of groveling, ass-kissing, and pride swallowing to get back in Bonnie's good graces. Be lucky she still loves you or otherwise, I'd sleep with both eyes open from here until…eternity," Damon snorted and took the rest of his drink to the head.

Stefan perked up a bit when Damon said that Bonnie still loved him. He felt a sliver of hope that he might not be buried all the way under the doghouse.

"Not to sound…narcissistic like you, but did she say anything about me?"

"No."

Sails deflated and the ship began to sink again.

"So how do you know she still loves me? I was terrible to her."

"Not as terrible as I suspect you could have been, but terrible all the same," Damon agreed. He sighed. "It's in her eyes, Stefan. Her most expressive features. That girl still loves you, why, I have no idea."

Suddenly Damon rose from the chair. "Now stop wasting time with me and go formulate a plan to get your girl back."

And that would probably be the only time Stefan quickly did something his brother suggested.

* * *

When Bonnie returned to school her first class of the day was Spanish III. She and Stefan shared this class along with three others and Bonnie was fully prepared to ignore him and sit on the opposite side of the room. However, her heart was ready to escape her chest cavity and go scampering off down the hall without her. Caroline told her to text her if she felt uncomfortable and wanted skip or ditch school altogether. But Bonnie wasn't a runner.

Bonnie felt very privileged to have a friend like Caroline in her life. It was sad that she couldn't exactly include Elena in on their plan. She still felt some kind of way by catching her in a semi-intimate moment with her boyfriend, yet Bonnie chucked it up to reaping what you sew.

Other classmates rushed inside before the final bell rung, and Bonnie hesitated. Her grip on the leather strap to her satchel was seconds away from becoming ribbons if she didn't release some of the tension in her hands. Bonnie took a deep breath, reared back her shoulders, tilted up her chin and marched inside the room.

Her assured steps slowed when she saw a single red rose lying innocently on her desk. There was a card attached to the stem. At first her suspicion flared to life because this was how things began with Tobias Fell, but when Bonnie looked to the immediate left of her desk, Stefan was nowhere to be found.

The bell rung and Bonnie hustled to her seat. She ignored the bud but picked up the card. She licked her lips nervously and read the elegant script.

_Let me not to the marriage of true minds_

_Admit impediments. Love is not love_

_Which alters when it alternation finds…_

Hun?

Shakespeare. He was going to apologize by being romantic and dipping back into his roots? As much as Bonnie wanted to tear the card to pieces and turn the rose into potpourri, a tiny, small, minute, almost microscopic part of her felt a little giddy that he was putting in the effort to begin with.

One of Bonnie's classmates turned to her and asked who gave her the rose. Bonnie merely shushed the girl and told her MYOB. Her concentration was pretty much blown from that point on.

About mid-day when she had to exchange her books there were two roses and a card in her locker, except these roses were white. Bonnie read the words on the card, but tramped down anything resembling a smile, smirk, or grin.

_Or bends with the remover to remove:_

_O no! it is an ever-fixed mark_

_That looks on tempests and is never shaken;_

She slammed her locker closed and stomped off to her next class.

Carrying her tray into the cafeteria Bonnie searched around the mess hall looking for two familiar faces. She spotted Caroline who was in the middle of having a very animated conversation with Dana and two other cheerleaders. Elena was not at the table, so Bonnie strolled over there. She really wasn't in the mood to be inundated with talk about clothes, hair, or prom which was only a month and some change away.

Bonnie smiled at the girls at the table, opened her cranberry juice and began to nibble on a carrot stick. Not a minute later someone tapped her on the shoulder.

It was a freshman guy who stared at his feet as he handed her three pink roses and a card.

"Thanks," Bonnie said and turned the card over.

_It is the star to every wandering bark,_

_Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken._

_Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks_

Bonnie searched around for the culprit yet spotted him nowhere.

And there was of course four more roses waiting on her desk in her final class; they were lavender.

_Within his bending sickel's compass come:_

_Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,_

_But bears it out even to the edge of doom._

By the time the day was over Bonnie was marching across campus with her small bouquet. She felt her cheeks burning as people stopped to stare at her like she was a delivery person from 1-800-Flowers or something. Really? This is what they wanted to make a great deal about? A girl carrying a myriad of roses in her hands as if they were dragons heads? Bonnie ignored them and unlocked her car. She sighed and tried to keep a stern expression on her face when she spotted yet another rose propped up against the driver's seat. It was a dark, unusual purple. She had never seen a rose that color before. At first she thought it might have been red at one point, suffered the elements and died, but when she ran her fingers over the petals it was as soft as cotton candy.

She plucked the card off the stem.

_If this be error and upon me proved,_

_I never writ, nor no man ever loved._

She read aloud, "From your faithful and humble servant, Stefan Salvatore."

Bonnie felt herself melt just a tad bit.

This continued for three days. On the fourth day Bonnie looked around her living room. If anyone were to come over they might mistake her home for a funeral parlor.

Her father shook his head on his way to the office. "Whatever the boy did, forgive him already. I'm not running a greenhouse, Bonnie."

Bonnie did a slow three-hundred and sixty degree turn around her living room, sighed, closed her eyes and mumbled a few words.

There, the restraining spell was broken. If Stefan felt it…she'd know soon enough.

Now that some of the fog was clearing from her mind Bonnie was able to realize she wasn't the only one who lost a child. Stefan was a hundred and sixty-two years old and figured his chances of becoming a father were lost to him forever. And though neither one of them ever talked about hard topics such as marriage and starting a family, she knew it was just as hard on him to lose their child as it was for her. Instead of shutting him out, she needed to open herself up. She was allowing her anger over Stefan drinking Elena's blood to hold her prisoner, and cloud the issue. And she was missing the point entirely.

The blood incident didn't matter. It wasn't on the same spectrum as her miscarriage. As much as she wanted to hold on to it, let it cook and simmer in her gut, she couldn't.

Not saying she was ready to let bygones be bygones, but they needed to talk.

Bonnie dashed upstairs and changed into one of Stefan's flannel shirts, threw on a pair of skinny jeans, and her favorite loafers and headed over to the boardinghouse.

Stefan was stretched out on his bed, one leg bent, the other straight with his arms folded under his head, staring up at the ceiling. Sheila was beside him whacking him every so often with her tail. His mind was noticeably blank except for his thoughts about Bonnie.

He was at school but chose to remain hidden in the shadows. Considering he didn't have much of a choice it did allow him the opportunity to watch Bonnie. He knew her facial expressions like the back of his hand and could tell with each small bouquet of roses and card that a small piece of her icy exterior was melting. Now all he'd have to do was calmly wait it out.

Suddenly Sheila meowed loudly and shot off from the bed. At first he suspected that Damon was home. Chasing him around the house was a favorite past time of hers. While she was busy doing that, Stefan continued to stare up at the ceiling.

_Man, I really need to dust_, he thought. Soon his nostrils were infiltrated with a _very _familiar scent and he jolted up from the bed and looked towards the open door to his bedroom. He couldn't blink. For if he blinked it could mean that the vision he was staring at might disappear. He was afraid to move because if he moved the woman might take it as a sign to leave, and he certainly didn't want her to leave. There standing just underneath the threshold was Bonnie. She was running her tiny fingers down the curve of Sheila's spine as the cat purred in total contentment.

The two of them caught and held gazes becoming familiar with one another again. He hadn't been able to see or speak to her for days and now that the opportunity arose the cat literally had his tongue.

Within one eye blink he stood before Bonnie, drinking over her features. Her face was beautiful but looked younger somehow, and her scent was sweeter. He didn't realize until now just how much he truly missed having her around, and now his palms were practically itching to touch her.

No matter how many times Bonnie replayed the photograph of Stefan's face in her mind, it never did measure up to the real thing. His bluish-gray eyes sparkled underneath his long eyelashes, and his perfectly styled caramel hair had flecks of gold in it. Silently she sat Sheila on the ground who brushed up against her legs once and then disappeared.

_Note to self, buy Sheila a fresh ball of yarn to play with, _Stefan thought as he opened up his arms at the same time Bonnie jumped into them.

She buried her head between his neck and shoulder, he did the same and they began speaking simultaneously.

"I missed you so much."

"Can you please forgive me?"

"I don't want to fight with you ever again."

Stefan walked them backwards to the bed, and the minute they lied down together, Bonnie used his chest for a pillow; he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and their joined fingers made a steeple.

They were silent for a while. There were so many issues they had to address and it wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

They began to speak softly to one another.

"I should have been totally upfront about my hunger with you. Then maybe what happened wouldn't have happened."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to find you drinking your ex-girlfriend's blood?"

"I was blood drunk, and unfortunately when that happens the only thing strong enough to cure it is supernatural blood. And I didn't care about the source. Call it exercising poor judgment."

Bonnie figured as much but it was still a hard pill to swallow walking in and catching Stefan and Elena like that. It was all of her worst fears being played out in front of a live viewing audience. Stefan hadn't given her any reason to feel insecure about their relationship _until _she caught him drinking from Elena. And she couldn't help but correlate what she saw to what _could _happen if the compulsion is broken.

"I want you to know it wasn't sexual for me."

Well it looked pretty sexual from Bonnie's viewpoint but that's only because Elena's expression of bliss was all she had to base her assumption on.

He hesitated before asking this question. "Did you think I was going back to Elena?"

Bonnie never really considered that. "No. Despite what I saw deep down I knew it was just about the blood, but..."

And he hated buts for a reason.

"It made me feel like _I _wasn't enough for you."

Stefan shifted until he could face her more. "Bonnie you know that's far from the truth. You're everything to me."

"Yet you couldn't stop feeding."

"My addiction has nothing to do with you. You've helped me rein it in more than I've indulged in it. I know it doesn't seem that way, but it's the truth."

Bonnie searched his eyes for sincerity and found what she was looking for. He was telling the truth.

"And I was out of line for what I said about you and Damon...I know you would never do that."

Stefan felt Bonnie stiffen for a minute and as a result he tightened his arm around her.

As out of line as he was, Bonnie understood Stefan's problem with her friendship with Damon. He was afraid of history repeating but that had never been an option for Bonnie because she only viewed Damon in one light. Yet a few weeks ago Damon had made a comment to her about he and Stefan being a packaged deal. With most people in relationships, you not only dated that person but their family as well so it came with the territory. That wasn't anything unusual, in their case however they were vampire siblings who had a long history and an even longer rivalry that centered around loving the same woman. Bonnie not was looking to be inducted into that particular Hall of Fame or it should be more aptly titled Hall of Infamy, but she knew that with Stefan came Damon—unfortunately.

However, it was still no excuse for what he said to her.

Yet...perhaps his comment wasn't totally unjustified.

"Then I can't lie to you, Stefan," Bonnie dropped the other shoe. "I do care about Damon."

He sooo didn't want to hear this, but at the same time knew that it needed to come out.

"I care about him in the same respect that I care about all my friends. And I love my friends," she let that sink in. "Because he is your brother that makes him my brother. And as my brother, I love him. Like a brother," she reiterated the important part.

Stefan mulled over her confession for a moment. "Like a brother?" he wanted clarification.

"Yes, I love Damon as my brother."

Well he guessed he should be happy with that. Not like he'd have much choice otherwise. Bonnie wasn't like Katherine who got off on the fact two brothers were in love with her and dallied with them behind closed doors; and she wasn't like Elena either using the guise of friendship to hide innermost feelings and desires. But Stefan had warned Bonnie long ago that when he wanted to be Damon was charming, and had the power to make you equally care for and be repelled by him almost at the same time. It was a skill Stefan sometimes envied.

"So I don't have to worry about you imagining him naked?"

Bonnie pulled a face. "Eww. Don't make me lose my lunch, Stefan."

He chuckled ruefully and pulled her just a little closer.

Now it was time for them to address the _really _big elephant in the room.

"I shouldn't have put the restraining spell on you, Stef. The baby I lost was just as much yours as she was mine."

"She was a girl?"

Bonnie shook her head. "It was too early to tell the sex...but in my mind she was a girl. We take so much for granted that it had to take a miscarriage for me to realize how _badly _I wanted to be a mother. Not like I had a great example of what a good mom is, but I still want to be one just the same."

"Then you and I are in the same boat in that respect. But how was conception even possible...being what I am?"

"I don't know." And she didn't know. For days Bonnie poured through Emily's grimoire and the Martin's grimoires with a fine tooth comb looking for some variable as to how it was possible she was able to conceive a vampire's baby. The research turned up fruitless, and Alaric had promised to look more into when he had the time, but the materials here in Mystic Falls were varied so he'd have to take a trip up to New York to search their historical public libraries.

"I have a theory," Stefan said.

Bonnie placed her chin on his chest and stared up at him.

"Do you remember the night you were standing out on the patio and there was a red circle around the moon and you told me that when that happens anything which is impossible could become possible? Maybe that's the reason why I was able...why we were able to make a baby."

Mentally Bonnie searched through her files trying to retrieve the memory of that night. After a moment or two she was able to nod her head in the affirmative. It made sense.

"Well I guess I can use that as a starting point for research. You know I've thought of nothing for days...but sometime's I think I lost the baby for a supernatural reason."

Stefan glanced down at Bonnie waiting for her to explain.

"The balance...never would have accepted a vampire/witch/human hybrid. Our lives are complicated as it is and if I had been able to carry the baby to term we might have spent the rest of our lives running to protect our child. And no child deserves a life like that."

"I wholeheartedly agree. So are you saying you're glad the..."

"No, I'm not saying I'm glad I miscarried," Bonnie replied sharply. "It was the worst feelings in the world. I rather bleed through my nose for the rest of my life than to have to go through that again."

Stefan felt relief wash through him. For a minute he thought Bonnie was going to say she was glad she wouldn't be giving birth to his seed. He had lived to be a hundred and sixty-two years old and only on a few occasions did Stefan think about losing the ability to procreate. After living his vampire lifestyle he got over the disappointment in knowing he could never have a living heir. Besides it would be too dangerous.

"However, it did open my eyes to the fact that if we were to remain together, to have a future...that would be one rite of passage I'd never get to experience," Bonnie said. She felt her throat closing in.

"And I don't want to take that away from you, Bonnie."

"And I don't want to miss out."

"In all honesty," Stefan continued, "vampires should never take responsibility for children. It would be too difficult to out live your child."

"So...you never want to be a father?" she asked quietly.

Stefan sighed. "I would if the circumstances were right."

Then they were facing a major obstacle.

Stefan switched positions until Bonnie lied flat on the bed. He loomed over her and pulled up the hem to his shirt. Yeah, he had to smirk at the fact she was wearing another one of his shirts. The minute her belly was exposed he kissed it.

"I want you to be the mother of my child."

Bonnie choked up. He said it with such conviction that she could do nothing but lace her fingers through his hair when he used her belly as his pillow. A tear escaped the corner of her eye and coursed down her cheek. It wasn't long before she felt something wet drip on her skin.

Stefan had joined her in mourning the loss of their miracle. They simply watched the afternoon light fade into dusk.

* * *

**April**

There were several ways to increase ones endorphins. You could eat a tub filled with chocolate. Or engage in invigorating sex, or exercise. Bonnie had already indulged quite heavily in the invigorating sex. She had to giggle because she and Stefan had behaved as if they were sex deprived amateurs, but in their defense they had been without loving for close to a month so a marathon was long overdue.

So she had no choice but to go with option three.

Activating the alarm to her Prius, Bonnie plugged the ear buds to her iPod into her ears and did some preliminarily stretching. It had been at Ric's suggestion that she take up running as a way to build her endurance so that when she had to pull off a heavy duty spell it wouldn't literally steal the life out of her. She was all fine and good with his suggestion but felt he was trying to say she was stretching out more horizontally than vertically. Bonnie could admit to being more of a couch potato her weight lifting consisting of stuffing her face and lifting the remote to change the TV channel. But Stefan didn't mind the extra padding and as long as her man was sat-is-fied she didn't give a care what anyone had to say.

It was a beautiful mild Sunday and a few people loitered about which gave Bonnie a modicum of peace about being out here in the park about to run.

She smiled at two women who ran by, their ponytails swishing in beat with the rhythm they set. One day she'd get on their level but for now she'd set her own pace.

Jogging in place for a few seconds Bonnie took off down the rocky path.

Her lungs were not going to forgive her nor her legs, knees, ankles, or feet, but she'd push through this and endure it like she did with everything else in life. Not too long ago she had been a top athlete. She just had to remind her body of that so it was safe to say it was in for a rude awakening.

With each quarter mile she passed she increased her speed until she was flying down the path. Bonnie breathed evenly inhaling through her nose and pushing the air out her mouth.

There was a sharp curve up ahead so she slowed her speed and made the proper adjustments, once she cleared the curve she saw a man standing in the way, his back to her. She was fully prepared to run around him when he chose that precise moment to turn around.

Bonnie slid to a stop. Her already racing heart began to triple in speed. She gulped the pool of spit that had accumulated in the bottom of her mouth.

The man smiled revealing a set of dimples she never knew he had. If he weren't such a psychopath Bonnie could focus on how hot he truly was with those full blood red lips, and sandy blonde curly hair. And as lean as he appeared she knew there was a strong, muscular body underneath his plain clothes that belied his strength.

"Klaus," finally broke through her lips. Bonnie turned around ready to run back in the direction in which she came, but knew it would be pointless. There was no way she could outrun the Original Vampire.

And just as she suspected he was standing right in front her blocking the way of escape.

Bonnie jerked backwards to avoid running into him. "W-what do you want?" stammered from her lips.

"There's no need to be afraid, love," he said in that thick British accent.

Bonnie wanted to snort but she couldn't remember how. All she could think about was the last time she saw Klaus. It was prank night and he had showed up demanding she find a way to save his hybrids in all of twenty minutes. Seriously the man should go into the military since he was so fond of giving people such a small window of opportunity to perform an operation.

What would Damon say in this situation? "Fear is for pussies." Yeah, that sounded like something he would say. No, this is what he'd say, "Fear is for guys named Jeremy." Yeah that sounded more like him.

Focus, Bonnie because you have a much more important problem on your hands.

Just as she was about to repeat her question, her back was thrown up against the nearest tree. Klaus had entered her personal space; he stood so close that when he moved his jacket brushed against her lycra outfit. Over his shoulder Bonnie spotted a couple running towards them.

She was fully prepared to scream but then a soft pair of lips covered her mouth taking her one arsenal from her. The couple ignored them.

Bonnie shut down. She underwent total sensory deprivation. She didn't want to see, touch, hear, taste, or smell. And she certainly didn't want to focus on the softness of his lips-like pillows they were. Or the fact he fluttered his tongue against hers in a blatant invitation one she had no plans to RSVP to. She kept her eyes open the whole time and sighed heavily when the ordeal was over.

"They _are _as decadent as they look," he said in praise of her lips.

Bonnie wiped the taste of him off with the back of her hand. All it did was make him smile.

Her back felt like it had adhered to the tree, that's how far she was braced up against it. Klaus hadn't taken a step back and she searched his eyes.

Again she asked her earlier question. "What do you want?"

He smiled again. "I'll tell you everything but first...I have a secret."

Chapter end.

**A/N: Once again, thank you guys for reading! Love you.**


	26. Never Ending Fairytale Pt 1

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

There are several sides to every story. This is but a morsel of mine.

-Klaus

_Transylvania Army, 1462 _

The battlefield was barren save for the burning pyres, and the rotting flesh. Bodies were piled high like the Tower of Babel with flies swarming the spiked heads of men, and vultures having a feast. Over twenty-three thousand lay dead from men to women to children. No one was spared, an entire generation wiped out. There were pools of blood on the ground which cast muted reflections of the sunless sky. Billows of smoke clogged the air and lifted up towards the heavens like a sacrilegious sacrifice.

His armor was heavy, the once silver gilt was stained with blood, and if he cared to look, bits of human entrails peppered his breastplate. This all should have sickened him—if he were human that is. But to him it was a form of honor, his own private chain of state. His once luminous blond hair was scraggly, the ends singed from the constant fires that burned. His face was free of lacerations, only the dried blood of his opponents marred it.

Niklaus clutched his sword in his right hand looking around the city located between Serbia and the Black Sea. He knew not a single face he slew, not like it mattered; this was all a sport to him. Hearing the cries of men was like a private symphony. But it was seeing the faces of the frightened children…that would take a day or two to forget.

The sound of a marching battalion caught his attention and he spun around, his sword held into the ready position to swing and cut down whoever dared to surprise him. But he lowered it tentatively when he saw it was The Prince approaching.

His long raven locks hung down to his shoulders in two braids that were coming unraveled. Blood was splattered over his deep olive skin, and was embedded into his thick beard. His dark brown eyes were nearly obsidian and just as soulless—like two black holes they were. The only other man who had the power to intimidate Niklaus was luckily several seas and oceans away, yet the Prince came close to inciting the fear in him that his father once did. But Niklaus had no reason to fear anyone, not anymore.

Not since his change.

The blood around him was hypnotic, but he had enough self-control not to turn feral and lay waste to the approaching Prince and his special guard.

The Prince laughed, a deep rumble that sounded more like thunder, his arms stretched out as if presenting a feast to a king. Niklaus sheathed his sword and straightened his spine.

The Prince began speaking in his native Romanian. "Here stands my fiercest fighter, nearly as cold-blooded as I am. Tell me, Niklaus, how many did you slay?"

Niklaus looked at a point over the Prince's shoulder. "Three thousand, Sire, and I did not always use my sword to lay them low."

The Prince laughed almost gleefully at that. He clapped his hands together once, turned to his general and whispered a command. Niklaus remained where he was because he knew The Prince would want to hear details of his nastiest kill. He would want to know who ran in fear, who cried for mercy, who begged for his life.

The general returned with two chalices. Niklaus watched as red wine flowed into the goblets. The first was given to The Prince; the other was begrudgingly handed to Niklaus. He did not bow or say thank you, merely took the cup and awaited the Prince's next move.

The Prince held up his goblet. "To the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. May their bones build our castles, and their blood," the Prince took a sip of his drink, "give us immortal life."

Niklaus took a deep breath, brought the chalice up and felt his fangs lengthening. He shielded them as best he could, but quickly gulped down the fluid that wasn't wine at all, but blood. Delicious human blood.

He could feel the frenzy and bloodlust overtake him, and Niklaus growled to contain it. He licked the cup clean, and had to restrain himself from asking for more.

Once the Prince was done with his cup, he threw it negligently to the ground and laughed again. "I have one more reward for you, Nikluas."

"Yes, Prince Vlad."

"Bring the girl forth!"

Two yeomen brought forth, in Niklaus' estimation, the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon. His history with women had never been very good or pleasant. He was hated and tolerated by his own mother, his sister was the only one in his family to show him true kindness, but he loved her how a brother ought to do. Since becoming what he was, he very well couldn't be with a mortal woman, the temptation to drain her dry was too great, and there were no females who walked the earth quite like him.

He was alone in the world.

The woman did not struggle in the yeomen's arms; she seemed content with her fate. This was the dark side to war. That when the enemy was slain, the spoils and booty were divided amongst the conquerors. Women and children were taken as slaves; no man was allowed to be left alive.

Niklaus dared not blink because if he were dreaming it would be a cruel thing for it to end. Her oval, cherub soft face was crowned with long mahogany locks that stopped below her cinched waistline. She had expressive and deep brown eyes, that he was sure would glow garnet in direct sunlight. The woman had smallish lips, but they reminded him of a rosebud. And her smell was simply exquisite. Skin—the color of freshly fallen snow, she was every bit an angel who had fallen from the heavens to come and make men fall down to their knees and worship her.

"I give you to my servant Niklaus," said Prince Vlad.

The yeomen released her and she gracefully walked over to him. Niklaus kept his eyes on her.

When she stood before him, he asked: "What do they call you?"

The young woman stared down at her feet demurely. "Erzsebet…Erzsebet Petrova, sir."

Niklaus reached for her hand and laid a feather-like kiss on it. "The pleasure is all mine, Erzsebet."

_The New World, 1465_

For two years he knew happiness, utter and complete happiness. He rose in the morning, went swimming in the sea, watched Erzsebet as she braided her hair, and cooked bread over the fire.

During the summer she would chase butterflies, or sing songs to the birds. She was as much as a child like he was discovering new things, and marveling in learning another strange mystery about the world. She made him forget his horrible childhood, made him feel like the man his father constantly said he'd never grow up to be.

Only Elijah and Rebekah knew of Erzsebet's existence and had promised to keep his secret. They wanted him—who had been the family leper to finally have a bit of happiness and peace. And Niklaus did.

He and Erzsebet lived a nice, simple life.

Until…

The first full moon came and Niklaus along with Erzsebet were seized in the night.

"You stupid boy!" Mikael chastised him as he ruthlessly pulled him from the mud house Niklaus had built with his own two hands.

"What have I done _now _to displease you?" he asked as he was forced to walk through the forest with his arm twisted painfully behind him.

Mikael struck him across the face. The blow was sufficient enough to cut into his skin and draw blood. He then brought his cold ocean blue eyes to Erzsebet who couldn't understand their language. She trembled with fear and asked Niklaus repeatedly what was happening, and why wasn't he doing anything to save them. He had the power to do it. She knew he did. For he had shared his darkest secret with her and she still loved him despite of it.

"Erzsebet," Niklaus whispered gently, "it will be all right. I will get us out of this. I promise."

Mikael scoffed rudely. "Do not make promises you cannot keep."

Surprise flew on Niklaus' face that he could understand what was spoken in confidence.

Mikael snarled a smile. "I know more than you will ever know, _boy _and don't you forget it."

"Father what have I done to you now?"

Mikael didn't answer. He merely looked through a spot between two trees as a figure emerged.

"Mother…?" for his efforts Niklaus received a sharp blow to the back of his neck. He fell to his knees, the wind rushed out him, the earth spun.

He watched helplessly as Erzsebet was taken and thrown on a crudely made altar. Fire erupted from the earth, the light burning his eyes momentarily.

"WHAT IS GOING ON? WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?" Niklaus demanded but his demands had fallen on deaf ears.

He watched as his mother held a knife over Erzsebet in the air as she began an incantation.

Niklaus shifted his eyes to his father who watched with an impassive expression on his face. A tear slipped from the corner of Niklaus' eye. When he attempted to rise to his feet, he felt a pressure laying on him, weighing him down.

He couldn't move.

"Father…I beseech you! Please stop this! We will leave. You need not hurt her."

"There is something dark and dangerous in you Niklaus…and it can never get out," Mikael replied coldly. "This girl is the key to make certain it never happens."

Before he had the chance to question what rubbish his father was saying, he heard Erzsebet's blood curdling scream as his mother plunged the knife deep into her belly.

She snapped her head to look at Niklaus and he literally saw the life draining out of her.

"MOTHER!" Niklaus screamed, the tendons in his neck stretching with his fury. It doubled the moment his mother slit Erzsebet's throat, still reciting her incantation, murdering the woman he loved.

Niklaus attempted to move again, but then he felt fire erupt deep in his belly and he tried several times to fight it, deflect it away from himself—he had learned to do that in battle, but the pain was more powerful than he was and nothing he attempted to do would make the pain lessen.

And as soon as his mother finished the incantation, the pain evaporated, and the invisible chains that held him prisoner were loosened. The air around him was silent. Not even the fowl of the air flew, nothing moved except for the rapid rise and fall of Niklaus' chest.

He tensed slightly as his mother approached. He figured he was about to join his dear Erzsebet in the afterlife.

"What I did…I did for the whole of the earth, Niklaus. You can never know what you are."

"You took the one person from me who loved me. Why do you hate your son so much?"

"I do not hate you, Niklaus…but you are a monster."

"It through and by no fault of my own."

He was right, but he could never know what he truly was.

"I'm sorry."

He laughed bitterly at her half-sincere apology. "If you are going to kill me, kill me. Be done with it."

He searched his mother's eyes for any sign of finality and found none. They meant for him to walk this earth mourning Erzsebet forever.

"Perhaps one day you will forgive me for what I took from you…"

Niklaus made a noise in the back of his throat. "No, mother…I will never forgive you for this. Your death will be by my hands…I promise you," his eyes narrowed menacingly.

Mikael had heard enough, moved to his wife's side and began to draw her away. "It is finished."

And two days later, as Niklaus held his mother's once beating heart in his hands…it was finished.

Or merely beginning…

**Present Day**

_Jesus my brother is a horrible dancer, _Stefan thought as he sat at a small round table watching his brother get his groove on with several barmaids on top of said bar. It was like he was about to have an epileptic seizure or something. Stefan could do nothing but shake his head. There were many times he didn't want to claim Damon as blood, his lack of rhythm and staying on beat notwithstanding Damon had certain character traits that would not make him a desirable candidate for adoption. But he was his flesh and blood so he had no choice but to claim him. For tax purposes at least.

Stefan had heard once that the way a man dances could be indicative of how he performs in the bedroom.

It was a wonder Damon had the fan club he did considering he danced worse than a fish out of water.

Nevertheless he considered this as progress in the right direction for them. Two months ago it would have taken a lot to get them to stand in the same room. But Bonnie was right, like she typically was, things needed to change and for the better. And now that he knew how she viewed his brother as if he were her brother, he was willing to put in more of an effort.

Yet...

Stefan wasn't completely sure that sisterly love was what Damon felt towards his girlfriend.

For the past week he watched their interactions carefully.

Bonnie was real big on them all sitting down at the formal dining room table to eat breakfast. Why? He wasn't sure, but like he said whatever sweet pea wanted, sweet pea got. So on the days she stayed the night, she would whip up breakfast and insist that they all eat together. Not like human food was high on his and Damon's list of priorities, but Stefan could make this one concession. He ignored the sense of deja vu wanting to override him, and sat there at the table enduring it because really what else was he going to do? And he and Damon were raised during an era where families shared all meals around the table. Things were much more relaxed and a hell of a lot less formal in the 21st Century, but he didn't mind reliving old times as long as it was the _good_, old times he was reliving.

But he noticed that when Bonnie would set the table, Damon would be alongside her, and they'd trade barbs like they typically do, and occasionally bump one another with a shoulder or push each other. It was very sibling-like behavior, Stefan thought, but he would notice that Damon every so often would stare at Bonnie from the corner of his eye. A tell-tale sign that he was checking her out or having less-than-noble thoughts about her. And though he didn't just want to fly across the table and stab Damon's eyes out-wait a minute yes he did have that urge-he figured the only person who was liable to get hurt in this was Damon because Bonnie did not return his affections.

All of this should have satisfied Stefan, but he also couldn't deny the connection Damon and Bonnie shared.

They had their own synergy and it was in place long before Stefan took an interest in her.

Stefan couldn't be exactly sure...but if the events of last spring never happened, he was sure that Damon would have warmed up to Bonnie in more ways than one, and his unnatural love for Elena would have dissolved into a vat of nothingness.

Only with time all of that could have happened. But he and Bonnie were in love and there wasn't anything on the planet that could break them up.

Well maybe. Hopefully. Prayerfully?

Stefan finished his shot and then sauntered over to the bar for a refill since all of the bartenders were busy gazing at Damon and his manic dancing. Stefan tapped the bottom of his shot glass on the bar top three times to get someone's attention. Finally the hard rock song that was blasting from the speakers ended and Stefan could hear himself think more clearly.

A few people who watched the show clapped and returned to their chicken wings and flat beer.

Damon hopped off the bar but not without kissing a lot of hands and cheeks first.

Stefan stared at Damon, snorted, and picked up his shot glass once it was full.

"Are you done serenading us with your terrible dancing? I have a girlfriend back home who's waiting for me to ravish her."

Damon made a face, turned to face the bar and held up two fingers to signal how many shots of Wild Turkey he wanted. His order was quickly filled.

"What's the rush? It's not like you haven't seen her naked a million times already. And I hope the two of you have been using protection lately. Oh, and since we're on the topic of protection, looks like I'm going to have to get earthquake insurance taken out on the house because of your bedroom antics. You've officially cracked the ceiling in the living room."

Stefan chuckled and his smile was uber-smug. "I smell a hater."

Damon shrugged and tossed his shot back. "I'm not hating but there's no need for the roof to come down on my head because you want to push the limits of the internal structure of the boardinghouse."

"You know who you sound like?" Stefan asked. Damon waited impatiently for him to say it. "Giuseppe. It's official, you've turned into Giuseppe Salvatore and it only took you close to two hundred years for that to happen." Stefan held up his shot glass in salute. "Congratulations. It's hair plugs and bifocals for you."

Just as soon as Damon opened his mouth to retort he felt something ominous enter the bar. Damon covertly looked around and he noticed that Stefan went stone-still as well.

Soon a man wearing a finely tailored black suit with sandy blond hair and criticizing blue eyes stood before them. In the infamously spoken words of Maury Povich about to read the results of a paternity test...Mikael, you are _not _the father-has finally graced them with his presence.

"The Salvatore boys, I presume," the Original Mack Daddy said as he eyed them with contempt for their very existence. "And there's no need to ask how I found you. I'm a vampire hunter...it's what I do. Now," he turned to face Stefan completely disregarding Damon. Damon hated when people did that. "I heard you're Niklaus' errand boy. I need you to tell me where he is."

Stefan channeled his inner asshole which didn't take a lot of doing, as he leaned casually against the bar.

"I've been ordered to keep my mouth shut. And I know for a fact he doesn't want your ass to know where his ass is. That would defeat the purpose of running, don't you think?"

Mikael did not look amused. His smirk was sardonic at best. "And you mean to tell me you can't find a loophole?"

The younger Salvatore merely shrugged.

While they were so busy conversing, Damon took the opportunity to give the only man on the planet that was able to make Klaus tuck tail and run a good thorough once-over. Really? _This_ was the guy? Damon snorted and reached for another shot. In his head Mikael was some ten foot tall three hundred pound Cyclops who caused earthquakes when he walked. The guy standing before him in a Brooks Brothers suit looked like an ordinary door-to-door salesman. And Mikael was quite possibly the only vampire Damon had encountered that he felt could benefit from a facelift. Seriously his face looked like a prune.

And of course while he was having his own inner monologue completely tuning out their conversation, the next thing he knew, a fist was being slammed into his chest and cold fingers gripped his heart.

WTF happened? Stefan you bastard. I _knew _hanging out with you was liable to get me killed.

Finally something close to humanity formed in Stefan's eyes as he kept shifting his gaze from Mikael's cold face to the hand planted deep in his brother's chest.

"All I'm asking, Stefan is that you find a way to lure Klaus. If not I take your brother's heart with me. You mean to tell me you wouldn't care if I killed your brother right in front of you? That's cold-blooded even I have to admit."

"Ah, he's been compelled not to care," Damon groaned.

"Then I guess that's a shame for you," and just to show what he meant by that, he squeezed Damon's heart tighter in his hands.

The older Salvatore's eyes rolled into the back of his head. _So_ this_ is what this feels like. No one wonder Mason Lockwood wanted to return the favor. This shit hurts. _

Finally Stefan muttered, "I can get a message to him."

It wasn't enough to get Mikael to release Damon.

"I can," Stefan reiterated.

"You have forty-eight hours, Stefan or..." he squeezed and gave a little pull and Damon's knees buckled. "I come back for both of your hearts." He pulled his hand clean out of Damon's chest and boldly licked his fingers. Vampire blood was ambrosia to him.

Stefan reached out for Damon and helped his brother on a bar stool. It was a good thing they were around so many humans. Damon would need to take blood from everyone in the bar—who had been compelled earlier—in order for him to recover from his injuries.

**Half an hour later...**

Damon and Stefan strolled silently to the car. They had just entered clusterfuck number one hundred and twenty something, whatever they lost count. But then anger overtook Damon and he punched Stefan's lights out.

"Thanks for letting that asshole just punch a hole in my chest while you stood there shooting the breeze!"

Stefan vamped out and flew at Damon, but being he was much angrier, Damon caught Stefan by the arm and flipped him on his back. He landed with a crunch on the pavement. Damon planted his heavy boot against his neck, crushing Stefan's windpipe.

"You're no different now than you were six months ago! You gotdamn dick!" Damon seethed.

"What the hell are you mad at me for? I saved your worthless ass again like I _always _do. You want to be mad at someone, be mad at yourself Damon because if you hadn't gotten bitten by Tyler, I wouldn't have had to go to Klaus in the first place, but c'est la vie I'm his bitch now because of it."

Damon's jaw ticked. His brother was right, but still Damon did _not _like being vulnerable to anyone. Nor did he like relying on people, namely Stefan to come to his rescue. He took his foot off Stefan's neck.

"Get on the ball and call your owner," he growled at Stefan. "I want his ass dead by the end of the week," Damon pointed at his brother and walked away.

**Mystic Grill**

Elena was all smiles and giggles as she headed towards the ladies room. And right before she made it to the door, a cold hand clamped around her arm and pulled her in a completely different direction.

Her back made contact with the wall, and just when she formed her lips to cuss the person out, her jaw dropped to her chest, and her already big doe-brown eyes widened in horror.

"Klaus," she said in that raspy voice that was a cross between being seductive and sounding as if she were fighting against a sore throat.

"Going somewhere, love?" He looked to his left and saw the door marked "Women".

Elena swallowed nervously. "What do you want?"

"Seems everyone likes asking me that question," he smiled very briefly. "And my answer will never change." He ran a finger along her neck. Elena attempted to slap his hand away. "I feel all the blood in your body rushing straight to your heart. Do I make you nervous, Elena?"

"No," she lied through her pearly white teeth. "I just don't like you."

All gaiety left his face and his veneer became hard. "Well, that's too bad. I came back for two reasons and two reasons only and currently I'm looking at one of them."

Hearing his proclamation made her skin crawl.

Klaus drew even closer to where there was only a modicum of space between his body and Elena's.

"I mean you no harm. I never have."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, except for when you tried to kill me."

"And lucky for you, you have a brigade of friends who went to any length to keep you alive. Yet I wonder…after the rumors I've heard…would they now hand you over to me on a silver platter? Being as you are no longer the center of Mystic Falls, ergo you no longer have the love of two vampire brothers. They now hold someone else in high regard."

As much as her mouth was growing dry, Elena did not like to be reminded of all she had lost last year no thanks to the troll standing in front of her.

"And she _is _a delicious little something."

"If you have a point _please _get to it," Elena demanded sharply.

Klaus laughed. "Have I touched a nerve? Good."

"If you came here to drag me across the world with you…you can go to hell."

"I've lived hell for the last thousand years, sweetheart, and believe me when I say it's a vacation compared to my life."

"Ooh, I feel so sorry for you," she mocked. Yep, she must be losing the blood flow to her brain because if she had half of one she'd know better than sassing Mr. Indestructible.

Fury flashed in his dark blue eyes for a second. "I'm not going to make the next few days pleasant for anyone, Elena. Spread that message around."

Just then his phone vibrated in his pocket. Klaus extracted it and smiled when he saw who was calling. He held it up so Elena could see the LCD screen. "It's Stefan." He answered the call. "Stefan…what do I owe this honor?"

"I have a gift for you."

"What a coincidence that I would be in town at the exact moment you want to bless me with a gift. What could it possibly be?" he winked at Elena.

There was a pause. Klaus figured Stefan hadn't expected him to already be in town. That made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"What if I said I could give you Mikael's head on a platter?"

Klaus' eyebrows rose. "Really? And how exactly are you going to accomplish that feat, my friend?" his words were clipped.

"You let me worry about the particulars."

"I had every intention. If you are attempting to set me up into a trap…you will never see your girlfriend again, and no I'm not talking about the one you are currently with."

"Elena?"

Klaus heard there wasn't an overly concerned tone in Stefan's voice.

"Yes, my fair, beautiful doppelganger."

Stefan wanted to be flippant but refrained from doing so. "I'll call you back…when I have all of the particulars worked out."

"You do that, Stefan…and to have your insurance that you aren't setting me up to take a stake in the back…please allow me to escort Bonnie to dinner."

The crickets chirped.

"Why do you want to have dinner with Bonnie?"

"Because I like being random. Why the hell not? Don't force me to pull rank, Stefan. I like it when you willingly comply with my wishes. Refuse me…and I might pay your sweetheart a visit while she's sleeping at night."

Stefan growled on the other end of the phone. Klaus merely smiled.

This was probably by far the hardest sentence Stefan would ever have to speak. "Fine. What time should she be ready?"

Klaus looked at Elena. "Does seven sound good, love? And no I wasn't calling you love. Have her ready, Stefan."

Klaus disconnected the call, re-entered Elena's personal space, and kissed her cheek. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a date to prepare for. And if you try to run away or do something noble like leap off the highest cliff, you will never see Bonnie again…alive that is."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you dragging Bonnie into your madness? It's me you want."

"My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts. If I were you I'd give up trying to get inside my head, Elena. It isn't a pleasant place for such a sweet girl like yourself to be."

And like the wind he was gone.

**The Salvatore Boardinghouse**

The entire house was silent like it was preparing for an ominous arrival and in a lot of ways it was. Stefan looked through his bedroom window watching the empty street while Bonnie reluctantly prepared for her evening with Klaus.

He turned the second he heard her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. Though she said she wouldn't put much effort into her attire, no matter what she sheathed herself in she looked amazing. Her hair was down and feathered around her shoulders. The olive green wrap dress showed off her curves amazingly well, almost too well in his humble opinion, and though she wore a pair of understated strappy heels, they made her calves look wonderfully sculpted.

Bonnie opted not to spray herself down with expensive perfume. Not that it mattered. Her natural scent was mouth-watering as it was. She wore minimal to almost no makeup save mascara and clear lip gloss. To his vampire eyes she still resembled a goddess.

"Do I really have to do this?" she asked for what felt like the millionth time.

Stefan tucked his lips in and approached her. "I'd hate to think of what the alternative might be if you don't."

Bonnie nodded her head. She wanted to laugh at the irony that was her life. She got rid of one psycho all for him to be replaced by another. But hopefully soon they would rid the world forever of Niklaus (insert last name). She knew that Mikael finally made an appearance, and that a preliminary plan was being implemented but Bonnie didn't want to know all of the particulars. The less she knew the less she'd have to lie about.

Stefan cupped her cheek, ran the pad of this thumb across her butter soft skin. "I know you can take care of yourself, but Klaus is…"

"I know exactly what he is, Stefan. I'll be glad when I can cut a jig over his grave."

Stefan smiled and quickly kissed her forehead. "You and me both. And we will. I give you my word on that."

The doorbell rang and for some strange reason to Bonnie it sounded louder than usual. The couple looked at one another silently before their heads came together in a mutual kiss. Her lips were warm and soft against his tepid mouth. When Stefan deepened the kiss by slipping his tongue inside to do a deep-sea exploration, the bell tolled again, louder and longer this time.

He reluctantly tore his lips away from Bonnie whose face was flushed with desire. Her loins hurt and she certainly couldn't go anywhere near Klaus in her current condition. He'd definitely get the wrong idea.

"I'll get the door…"

"And I'll get my hormones under control."

Stefan smiled, kissed her hand and slowly made his way downstairs.

He paused for a moment before swinging the front door open. He kept his face expressionless although his eyebrows wanted to rise to high heaven the moment his eyes took in Klaus' attire.

This would make Stefan's first time since the 20's seeing him in a suit. And like with most things pertaining to their kind, Klaus could wear couture very well.

"Stefan…have you missed me?"

"Not really," Stefan replied and folded his arms over his chest. "Would it be presumptuous of me to ask just where you're taking my girlfriend?"

Klaus fluffed the handkerchief he had stuffed in his dinner jacket breast pocket. He pulled his blood red lips into a tight line. "Yes, it would be, Stefan. And speaking of girlfriend's, where is she?"

"She's right here," Bonnie said from behind Stefan's back. He moved only infinitesimally so that Klaus could see her with his own two eyes.

Stefan kept his gaze locked on Klaus to gauge his response to Bonnie. He could definitely see his interest, but no lust which he found the most surprising. Did that mean he batted for the other team? Stefan didn't think so but then again…one could never be too sure.

Klaus held out his hand towards Bonnie who ignored it. Instead she brought her critical green eyes over to her boyfriend and soundly kissed him on the mouth.

"I love you," she declared.

"I love you, more," Stefan replied just as passionately. Klaus stared at them annoyingly.

"Our chariot awaits madam," Klaus interrupted their teenage dream fantasy. Bonnie flicked her eyes briefly at him before strutting out the house, bypassing his open palm.

Instead of immediately following her, Klaus looked dead into Stefan's eyes. "Do not follow us. You do and I'll send her back in delectable pieces. I give you my word, Stefan I won't hurt her."

Stefan felt his will being tampered with and he hated it. The powerlessness of having your emotions and ability to do for yourself being pushed aside as someone else imprinted their will on you. He tried to fight against it but Klaus was too strong, too old, and all it accomplished was giving Stefan a slight headache and a sick feeling in the back of his throat. He could compare compulsion to one minute you're walking in the sunshine and the next you're in a pitch-black room with only a voice in your head to guide you in where you need to go. And you had no choice but to trust that voice or you'd be screwed. But here's the screwy thing, you were already screwed from the get-go.

**Later…**

Bonnie sat across from Klaus while he carried on an animated conversation with their waiter who was dressed in a white double breasted jacket and black pants. Bonnie didn't think there were waiters anywhere in the world who still dressed in that sort of regalia but she guessed she was wrong.

Klaus spread his napkin over his legs and smiled across the table from Bonnie. "This is romantic, don't you think?"

"No," Bonnie deadpanned.

He continued speaking as if he hadn't heard her. "May I interest you in some wine?" he began to pour wine into his glass.

"Only if I get to crack the bottle over your head later."

Klaus looked up at her over the table. He lost the smile long ago, and the expression she had come to associate him with was being presented. Lethal calculation.

"Come now, I think you can be a little more hospitable to your dinner guest. I mean you no harm, Bonnie."

She scoffed loudly at that and watched with satisfaction as a tick began in Klaus' five o'clock shadow covered jaw.

"What's your angle, man? Why are we here? Why aren't you chasing Elena up and down Mystic Falls? Why waste your time and mine when we both know you're only back here for one reason?"

Klaus shook his head, and smiled, causing crescent moons to appear in both cheeks. "There are so many more important questions to ask me, Miss Bennett. So many more."

"I'm not interested in hearing your life story."

"And I'm not interested in telling it or reliving it. But I will tell you why I wanted to have dinner with you."

"Finally," Bonnie said under her breath which Klaus heard anyways.

"You know I have an affinity for witches and at present…all the witches I was fond off…have perished. Wastefully. I want to extend you a term of employment."

Bonnie stared at him unblinking for a moment before laughing dryly. "You know there's no way in hell I'd ever agree to work for you."

"I'm not saying you'd be my minion. You'd work alongside me. You'd be my queen."

"And would that make Elena your concubine?"

A devilish grin popped out on his face. "Of course not…this isn't, how you say, that type of party," he chuckled at his own use of present day vernacular. "I can offer you the world, Bonnie. We would be the unstoppable pair. We could rewrite history, become true rulers of the world. With you by my side, and my hybrids behind me there'd be nothing to stop us. You would become a true goddess."

Bonnie curled her lip in utter disgust. "You must have me confused with Omorosa, I don't long for world domination. That crap is for shitty Hollywood movies. I don't need anyone bowing at my feet or kissing my ass to spare their life. And to want to treat other people that way…it's despicable."

Now it was Klaus' turn to look disgusted. "Freaking judgmental witches," he said under his breath. "You're missing the point, my love."

"No pet names or endearments please."

He rolled his eyes. "I want you to think back to what your life used to be, Bonnie. Remember there was a time where life did not revolve around you. The only time someone called you was when they needed you to work a little magic to save Elena's life. She was the girl everyone loved, cherished, and put on a pedestal. She was the one who yet again pit two brothers against each other and who constantly placed their lives in danger all to save her. And used her friends to their advantage.

"According to Stefan, he said that Damon would have gladly traded your life for Elena and he'd do it any day of the week. To think the same Damon you appear to be so close with now…if it came down to you or Elena he would have gladly let you die. You think I'm a heartless bastard and I am, that I won't lie about…but to know the vampire whose life you saved a thousand times over, would let someone take you out if it meant saving the girl who would never love him the way she loved his brother… now that's cold."

_Don't let him get inside your head and fuck with you, Bonnie. You and Damon and everyone else have come a long way._

But at the same time…she never knew that. Never knew that not that long ago she meant so little to Damon that he would have sacrificed her to save Elena.

However, Klaus could be lying.

Bonnie knew she had been foolish enough to toss her life aside if it meant saving her best friend. And she was also aware of how much Damon loved Elena…back then. But things were different now. Vastly different and that's what she needed to focus on.

"That's in the past," she said hoping her voice didn't quiver.

Klaus' smile was placatory at best. "With the flip of a coin everything could go back to the way it used to be. I could compel both Damon and Stefan to resume their rivalry over Elena's heart. Therefore that would leave you boyfriend-less, and friendless, and most importantly isolated. See," Klaus slid to the edge of his seat to place his elbows on the table. "You would never have to worry about my allegiance being tampered with or waning off. Once we're together, we'd be together for life. What more assurance do you need?"

"Klaus I rather you kill me and everyone I love than to spend the rest of my life beside you. You can play your little mind games, try to get me to second guess everyone I love and trust, but it won't work. And do you want to know why? Because you're just a sad little boy that no one ever gave a damn about so it pains you to see other people care about each other and have one another's back. Not once have you ever stood up and did something selfless for anyone else besides yourself. You don't know what it means to be a brother, or a friend, or someone decent. And it all boils down to this one cold hard fact…you don't even love or like yourself."

Their conversation came to an abrupt end and nothing could be heard outside of the violinist and piano player serenading the smartly dressed crowd inside the French restaurant.

Just as their entrees arrived, Bonnie looked up at their server. "Can I get a to-go box because this dinner is over?"

While she lectured him, Klaus could hear Bonnie's voice but it was Mikael's face he saw in his head, repeating not verbatim everything that asshole ever said about him.

But he be damned if he'd let a little teenage witch-bitch put him in his place. Klaus slammed his hand on top of hers, the force of it rattling the crystal flutes and silverware. The noise drew several curious glances their way.

Bonnie winced as he tightened his hold on her hand.

"That's where you're wrong," he said on a low growl. "I do know what it means to love someone, to have someone's back. I did love someone."

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

Klaus continued. "And she was taken from me."

"And that's the world's fault? Just because you lost someone doesn't give you the right to go around toying with and destroying peoples' lives. You're a waste of dead tissue, Klaus. And you always will be."

"You're a very brave but stupid girl."

"Go ahead and take me out, tough guy. I'm done shaking in my boots over you."

"You have no clue what I can do to your father…to your mother…yes I know _exactly _where she is…to Caroline who I know you favor more than Elena these past few months…and you don't know what I can do to Stefan."

Bonnie felt her throat tighten at the mention of her mother. How would Klaus know where she was? Bonnie kept her face one part pissed off the other part indifferent. She couldn't let him know how much hearing that he could hurt her mother affected her.

Bonnie smiled and giggled almost hysterically. She winked at Klaus. "Don't forget you have a family as well. Tit for tat, an eye for an eye. Don't bite off more than you can chew. And here's the most important proverb…don't piss off a Bennett witch!"

She abruptly rose from her seat and yelled "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!"

With just the twitch of her eye, all the windows of the restaurant shattered, shards of glass flying to and fro. People screamed and ducked under tables, many dove for the nearest exit. Klaus merely sat calmly at the table, his eyes locked on Bonnie but then…three large pieces of glass were hurtling towards her and he meant to leap up and snatch her out of the way, but Bonnie ducked a split second before they became imbedded in her head, and instead they became imbedded in his.

Klaus was flipped backwards out of his chair and landed with a thud against the carpeted floor.

Women screamed, people rushed to assist him, and all he could do was chuckle.

"This was the best date ever," he said and coughed up blood.

**The Salvatore Boardinghouse**

Damon entered the house and wondered for a second why it was so dark. He turned the volume up in his ears and didn't hear Bonnie or Stefan for that matter, yet he knew his brother was home because his car was parked in the driveway.

"Stefan?"

"Yeah," came the subdued reply.

Damon walked into the living room and found his brother stretched out on the couch staring aimlessly at the ceiling. Dumping his car keys in his leather jacket pocket, Damon hung up his coat on the high back chair and strolled over to the wet bar to pour himself a drink. From the lines playing Tic-Tac-Toe on Stefan's forehead it was plain to see he was still smarting over their "earlier disagreement". Let him stew because Damon didn't care. They could put their personal shit to the side because now it was time to implement Operation Kill Klaus, the updated version of that plan—that is.

Step one had already been accomplished and they didn't have to do anything. Now all they needed to do was for Mikael to make good on his promise, but Damon being the planner he is, had several contingency plans in place.

"Where's Bonnie?"

"She's with Klaus."

Damon swallowed his shot down the wrong pipe and began coughing violently. "WHAT? What do you mean 'She's with Klaus'? Did he take her? Did she go to him of her own freewill? Why are you just lying around on your ass, Stefan…"

Damon stopped and looked very carefully at his brother…his coolness about the situation. The elder Salvatore rolled his eyes before chucking the shot glass towards the fireplace.

"You've been compelled," Damon snarled.

"He won't hurt her. He's given his word."

"Oh, yes and we know how he lives to keep his word to people," Damon's tone dripped with sarcasm. He headed over for his jacket with a new mission in mind. "Where are they?"

Stefan sighed wishing he could get angry like Damon. "I don't know."

"You are the lousiest boyfriend in the world, Stefan! This is the second time you've allowed this to happen."

Now that buttered Stefan's toast. He hopped off the couch so fast and jacked Damon by the collar of his shirt before Damon even had time to really get this next sentence out.

Stefan slammed his brother up against the wall. He looked like a true vampire. "You think this is easy for me? Having my girlfriend running the streets with the biggest asshole on the planet and not being able to do a DAMNED thing about it? Leave it alone, Damon because every time you try to intervene thinking you're saving the day you make everything ten times worse. He said he'll bring her back and he won't hurt her, and I have to trust he'll do what he said."

Damon shook his head and Stefan released him.

"This can't keep going on," Stefan mumbled.

Damon lifted an eyebrow in the air. "What are you grumbling about?"

"Doesn't matter because it won't change a thing."

"Just say what's on your mind, Stefan. I'm a big boy I can take it."

Stefan bore into his brother while running a hand over his mouth. "You love...my girlfriend. Again."

Damon snorted. "I'm not in love with Bonnie."

Now it was Stefan's turn to snort. He walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink. "I'll give you props for not being so overt about it, but I see the way you look at her."

"I have eyes, Stefan and she's a hot girl what am I suppose to do when she walks into a room and ask me a question? Stare at my feet? Get real."

"Have you forgotten the last century and a half and the reason why you hated me for it? Don't do this."

"I'm not doing anything. But this is Klaus who is liable to do anything at any given time. I'm just worried about Bonnie's safety and that's all."

Stefan didn't buy that. In the past he allowed Damon to love Elena from afar because he knew Damon would do what was necessary to keep her safe, now all bets were off and he wasn't going to share any part of Bonnie with him.

"Just remember whose bed she'll be climbing into tonight."

Damon's lips flattened into a thin line. "So what you offer yourself up for stud services. Bonnie can get dick from anyone in this town. Bad dick, good dick doesn't matter. And I know she cares about more than that." He stared at Stefan for a moment before schlepping off to his room, cell phone in hand.

"Ric…we have a problem."

Two hours later Bonnie huffed and puffed her way inside the boardinghouse to find it was full of people. Which wasn't surprising. Bonnie imagined that once Damon found out she was with Klaus that he'd hop on the phone tree and call up Alaric, and Alaric would tell Elena, and Elena would tell Caroline, and they'd all be there waiting to interrogate her.

She wasn't in the mood. She was angry, tired after having to walk nearly two miles in heels to wait inside a crowded store to call a cab. Klaus had not taken her to a restaurant in Mystic Falls but in the next town over, so she almost had to flash a boob to get the cabbie to agree to knock twenty dollars off the cab fare. And to top it all off, she was hungry.

The minute Stefan caught her scent he jumped over the couch like an Olympic hurdler and bundled Bonnie up in his arms. Any other day that would have been welcomed but she was simply too emotionally drained and aggravated to care.

Bonnie worker her hands up to his chest and pushed Stefan off her. She peeled her aching shoes off her feet and chucked them into the roaring fireplace.

"Bonnie are you okay?" Caroline and Elena asked in unison.

She could do nothing more than nod like a bobblehead toy.

"We were worried about you," said Alaric. Bonnie flicked her eyes in his direction. _So worried that instead of coming to look for me you decided to have a parent/teacher conference instead_, Bonnie thought sardonically and returned her attention to the dancing flames in the fireplace.

However, she did plant her eyes on Damon who was being deceptively quiet. He didn't smile nor did he make a quirk about her having Flintstone feet.

She didn't care. She wasn't in the mood to ask him what his problem was.

But when he winked at her she couldn't help but smirk in return. Her boyfriend ignored that. Barely ignored it.

Stefan knew his girlfriend well enough to recognize the signs that screamed she wasn't in a sociable mood.

"Tired?" he asked.

Bonnie nodded again.

"Hungry?"

She really nodded her head.

"I'll get you something to eat," Caroline volunteered and whisked off into the kitchen.

Elena approached Bonnie and hugged her. Bonnie rolled her eyes and quickly detached herself. She didn't want to be coddled.

For a second she wondered where her irritation was stemming from, but Bonnie simply had too many other things on her mind like: when and how is Klaus going to retaliate for the stunt that I pulled?

Elena frowned the minute she noticed that Bonnie was stiff and tense while she hugged her. Was she thinking about the last time she saw her in the boardinghouse? Possibly, so Elena knew she'd have to tread very lightly.

"So…how was it?" Elena asked tentatively believing this was a safe question to ask.

Bonnie snorted. "He was a dick and I was a bitch. I shattered the windows in the restaurant; the night came to a close. I just want to eat and go to sleep."

Bonnie made a move towards the staircase but Elena stopped her. "Before your…date with Klaus…he cornered me at the Grill and when I told Ric he thought it might be a good idea if I stayed at the boardinghouse…for protection purposes. The house is still in my name."

Her irritation flared to new heights that Bonnie nearly blanked out. "Okay fine whatever. I'm tired. Please no one talk to me about Klaus for the next hundred years."

Before joining her, Stefan would give her some time to cool down. He didn't mind having his head bitten off but only when _he _had explicitly done something.

Twenty minutes later, Stefan walked into his bedroom with a serving tray not really sure what to expect. He did find Bonnie reading a book dressed in one of her favorite night gowns. She sat it aside as he approached.

Stefan placed the tray on the bed and reached over to cup her cheek. "Do you want to talk about it? I can tell something is bothering you. Is it Klaus or Elena's staying here?"

"Try both," Bonnie replied honestly and picked up the fork and began stabbing the macaroni noodles with it. "I get why Elena has to stay here but after what Klaus tried to do…I just don't want to see her."

Stefan took a seat on the edge of the bed. "What did he try to do?"

"He tried to tap into my insecurities and he said something's…I haven't thought about in a long time. Look, I rather just forget then to rehash it because I know he's a manipulator and an opportunist and that he's not to be trusted. But that wasn't all. He threatened my mother."

Now that Stefan didn't see coming.

"Your mother? How does he even know her?"

Bonnie shrugged. He might as well have asked Bonnie what her mother has been up to for the last fifteen years. She had no freaking clue.

He reached for Bonnie's left hand. "I'm not going to let him hurt anyone else you care about, Bonnie. I don't know how everything is going to work out, but I have faith we won't have to deal with his bullshit for much longer."

Bonnie gazed at her boyfriend and nodded her head in agreement.

She finished her meal in silence.

* * *

She woke up in the dead of night, rolling to a sitting position, her hair covering her exposed shoulders, the vision of seeing her mother's neck in Klaus' blood red mouth disturbed her sleep.

Bonnie blinked her eyes until they adjusted to the darkness of the room. Stefan slumbered quietly beside her and for a moment she had the sudden urge to hop in her car and drive across town to her house although it would have been pointless. Her father was out of town. Or maybe she would keep driving until she could find her mother.

All of this was irrational. Bonnie owed her mother nothing. She left her. But still…she was her mother.

Bonnie had not thought of her mother in years. Since she took off when she was no older than a toddler, whatever memory Bonnie had of her it was erased with lack of use and time. Sure there were photographs of Abby Bennett holding her just days after her birth, and one of Bonnie sitting on her mother's lap at her first birthday party, but that was it.

Did Bonnie envy her classmates who complained when their mothers wanted to do some mundane activity with them? Of course. Did it boil her blood that her mother didn't care enough about Bonnie to take her with her when she decided to split town? Naturally. For so long she had felt unwanted by her own blood and had relied on her friendships to replace her fundamental foundation that should have been established in her own household. Now even certain friendships were precarious and if Klaus made good on his promise to use compulsion to turn Stefan and Damon into the snarling pit bulls they had been before all to gain Elena's affection…Bonnie just might lose her mind. And lob off some heads while she was at.

She didn't want to address the possibility of losing Stefan. It literally made her feel sick. And as much as she didn't want to admit that Damon very well could have traded her life to save Elena's, she knew enough of his character back then to say it was a definite possibility.

But things were different between them now. Between all of them. With one comes all and that was the point Bonnie knew they'd have to make to Klaus.

"Hey," Stefan said groggily. He sat up in bed and wrapped an arm around Bonnie. "You can't sleep."

"I have a lot on my mind."

"Talk to me, baby. Lay it all out on the table."

Lord she wanted to, but she couldn't. She didn't want to give credence to the lies and/or truth Klaus tried to plant in her head. The time for second-guessing was over. It was now time for action. Instead of opening up, she angled her head to peer at Stefan. "Do you love me?"

"You know I do."

"Prove it." Pause. "Kill Klaus."

Stefan's grin was dangerous. "It would be my honor. But…I can think of another way to show you how much I love you."

He pulled her backwards, kissing her, planting her underneath him, and removing her night gown. His boxer briefs grew wings and took flight landing in a soft heap on the floor. Stefan kissed her lips, nibbled his way down her neck, before twirling his ruby red tongue around her chocolate tipped nipple. While teasing her he buried himself to the hilt in her heat.

Bonnie hissed and wrapped her legs around him, holding as tight as her human arms would allow.

No matter what it took, Klaus would have to die.

And she had the perfect card up her sleeve to make sure it was all accomplished.

Chapter end.

**A/N: I'm sure you were hoping that Klaus' secret would be revealed this chapter. It's coming up. I wanted to give a little background and insight to how the first doppelganger (if she could be called that) all came about, and I wrote this chapter way before her name had been revealed in S3, so I'm keeping it as it in this story. Thank you guys so much for reading and leaving me your thoughts. Until next time...love you!**


	27. Never Ending Fairytale Pt 2

**A/N: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

The course of true love never did run smooth...

In the pre-dawn hours Stefan stared down at his girlfriend. He marveled at the way her long thick eyelashes fanned against her high cheekbones. He marveled at the rosy tint to her skin, something which happened after they spent the night together. He sighed deeply before skimming the skin of her arm with his fingertips. Her skin was so soft he'd never get enough of touching her, or kissing her. If everything tonight went to hell in a hand basket this may end up being his last morning waking up beside her.

Stefan's throat tightened.

For six months he had her all to himself, only having to share her momentarily with her high strung best friends. They traveled together, made love more times than he could count but each time was engrained deeply in his mind. They worked through his bloodlust; he was able to avenge Bonnie being kidnapped. And they survived the loss of their child. Again it became hard to swallow.

As much as he wanted to be optimistic about tonight, he was a realist and from their history when it came to master plans someone always died.

Stefan had no fear that Bonnie would end up as a casualty. He knew she could take care of herself. What had him worried was that defining moment of staring Klaus in the eyes while Mikael drove the stake through his heart and feeling the compulsion breaking. He had no idea what awaited for him on the other side. What would he feel? How would he feel about everyone else?

How would this affect his relationship with Bonnie?

She stirred a little only to burrow closer to him, wrapping her arm over his waist, snuggling into his chest. He kissed the crown of her head. He didn't want to lose her.

A soft knock came on his door. He turned his head over his shoulder awkwardly.

"What?" he said lowly not wanting to wake Bonnie up.

The door cracked open and he saw an eyeball peering through the tiny crack. Stefan rolled his eyes, and motioned for the intruder to come in.

Damon strolled into his brother's room, glass of whiskey in hand. Stefan wanted to laugh as he watched Damon attempt to look everywhere else other than at the two occupants in the bed.

"Rebekah is back."

"So I heard. What are you going to do about her? Try to seduce her again?" Stefan chuckled sardonically.

"No, actually I'm going to let Elena take care of that. But Mikael will be here in about oh, twenty minutes. You might want to get up, throw on some clothes, and," he stared pointedly at Bonnie.

"I'm not going to kick her out because Mikael is coming."

"I'm not saying kick her out but remember the less people who know about the plan, the better."

"Fine," Stefan sighed exasperated. "Now...leave us," he said haughtily before chuckling.

Damon shook his head before exiting the room.

Alone again there were many ways Stefan could wake up his paramour. He could start by nibbling on her neck, but due to the way she was coiled around him, that would be a little difficult. So Stefan slid back down to the bed, and blew into Bonnie's ear. She swatted a hand but otherwise remained asleep. Stefan tried again and this time, Bonnie popped him on the nose.

"Bonnie, love. It's time to wake up," Stefan crooned into her ear.

She groaned and twisted in the direction of the sunlight streaming into the room. Her eyes fluttered until they opened, and she wiped the sleep out of them. For a second she felt disoriented as if she had no idea where she was, but the tepid hard body beside her instantly roped her back in.

She smiled. "Good morning."

Stefan leaned over her to kiss her cheek. "Morning. We have incoming soon and I don't want them anywhere near you."

Bonnie stared up at the ceiling. Her body was a little sore because yesterday was her self-defense class and she may have been a little...overzealous during her sparring match. Her instructor had paired her up with Elena and she may have...used a little more force than necessary, hitting Elena in the head a few times too many.

Bonnie chuckled at the memory of seeing the surprised look wash over Elena's face after the first punch landed on her cheek. Bonnie had shrugged her shoulders, completely unrepentant. They had on head gear and boxing gloves; they were protected—somewhat, so there was very little damage that Bonnie could actually do.

Except for the number of kicks delivered to Elena's stomach, but hey who was counting?

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I've finally worked through all my pent up irritation. But now...I feel like it's all going to crash back on my head."

"Hey, don't worry about what's going to go down tonight. You'll go to the party as planned. I'll be there waiting for you. And by the end of the night...Klaus will be dead."

Bonnie would believe that when she saw it. She hefted herself out of bed but not before Stefan clasped her by the wrist and pulled her backwards, sealing his mouth over hers.

"No matter what happens know you own my heart," he said before kissing her again.

Bonnie was the one to pull away first. "So many things can go wrong. Part of me doesn't even want tonight to happen. I wish I could wake up and have it be next week."

"You and me both. Yet the sooner this is over, the quicker we can get back to our lives."

That was the point, Bonnie knew this; however she felt as if they were all walking into this blind. Bonnie was maybe only a tenth clairvoyant, yet she had never seen an absolute vision of the future. She could use a clue right about now.

When Bonnie made a move to get out of bed, Stefan didn't stop her. Bonnie walked to the bathroom but loomed in the doorway. "Meet me on the dance floor. I'll be the one in the gold dress."

**Lockwood Mansion**

This night was going to end badly. Bonnie could feel it shimmying under her skin making her blood bubble. The muscles in the back of her neck were coiled tightly and she felt stiff, but she kept her smile in place as she held up a wall in the Lockwood Mansion.

Here she was at another function where the alcohol was freely flowing, girls pranced around in metallic and tight dresses, and guys wore suits with no ties. She took a sip of her beer, which she hated by the way, and tracked her emerald eyes around the room.

The original (she was sooo tired of that word) Spring Fling a kind of pre-prom party was supposed to take place at the school gym, but a mysterious pipe burst flooding said gymnasium right before the festivities were supposed to begin. But not to worry because like with most things in Mystic Falls there was a Plan B. Except this Plan B consisted of a hired band and even more people Bonnie had never seen a day in her life living it up at Tyler's place, where else? Naturally this should have worried her considering their track record at high school dances, but she was beyond caring. If tonight turned into a rendition of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Bonnie was glad that many of her classmates were not in attendance.

She sighed and sipped her beer.

Bonnie could taste the desire for blood in the air. It was seductive and alluring, and irresistible. Fueled by the chords of the bass guitar and the haunting voice of the lead singer, Bonnie closed her eyes and felt something akin to invisible strings tug at her. The force was so demanding that it pulled her off the wall and her feet began shuffling towards the center of the room, her hips swaying to the music.

Was she under compulsion right now or was it simply denial?

Denial to face the danger that tonight posed to everyone she loved.

Bonnie lifted her arms in the air and kept time with the music. She had no idea what song she was dancing to, she had never heard of it nor the band that was performing but none of it mattered. Not really because when it boiled down...

_All the world's a stage. All the men and women merely players_...

**Three Days Ago**

She was going to have to put on the performance of a lifetime. And no, she wasn't looking forward to it. _You know my life should come with a warning label_, Bonnie thought as she drove through town. Like warning: I have an appeal to homicidal natural killers with daddy issues; stay back five hundred feet, better yet just stay out of Virginia period. My bad luck will rub off on you and no you won't win the lottery. More than likely you'll be shot after buying the winning ticket.

What a lovely disclaimer.

If she put that as an AD in the classified section of the local newspaper Bonnie was sure her phone would blow up. Some people simply cannot help themselves when it comes to staying out of danger and sticky situations. She was the magnetic positive too all the supernatural negative, and yet she couldn't help but question if _any _of this would be happening if she wasn't best friends with the doppelganger of the doppelganger so forth and so on. Not that any of it mattered or perhaps it did matter. However, Bonnie began thinking. If her grandmother never moved to Mystic Falls, if she had remained in Salem, MA would any of what's currently happening be happening to Bonnie? If she never met Elena...then unfortunately she never would have met Stefan.

When she was stopped at a red light Bonnie checked her phone. She had a text message. Glancing up at the light, Bonnie opened her message. It was from her boyfriend slash could-have-been baby's father. Thinking of Stefan in those terms always made her head want to spin. But he simply said he and Damon were going out at a new bar for drinks and some brother bonding time.

Which is all well and good with her.

Bonnie pressed on the gas once the light turned green and at the next intersection, she made a left instead of going right. She hadn't talked to Caroline all weekend, and she certainly didn't feel like being in the boardinghouse all alone. Not after what happened this afternoon.

Note to self Bon, _nothing _happened this afternoon. That's the key she needed to remember.

Bonnie wasn't exactly sure if Caroline was home, so she sighed a great big sigh of relief when she saw her "Tonka Truck" parked outside. It wasn't until then that Bonnie realized she should have gone home first to shower and change, but she was sure she had left a decent outfit behind at the Forbes' during one of many sleepovers. And Caroline was the type of person who believed in buying in bulk so she already knew her best friend would have an assortment of body washes to choose from.

Getting out of her car and walking up the sidewalk, Bonnie searched down both ends of the street. She rang the doorbell.

Caroline answered not a second later. She beamed at Bonnie.

"I didn't know you were coming over."

"Last minute decision."

Caroline looked her over quickly. "You went running without me?"

And that was probably a good thing considering...

Bonnie shrugged and looked sheepish. "I wanted to get a jump start on losing a few pounds. I bought my dress for the pre-prom party months ago and...it's gotten a little tight."

Caroline laughed and stepped aside so Bonnie could enter her house. Once she crossed the threshold she was assaulted with the alluring scent of hot chocolate and spiced nuts. Her blonde friend was experimenting again.

"Well, I guess that's another plus to being immortal," Caroline said as she walked towards the kitchen. Bonnie trailed after her. "I can eat as many trans and saturated fats as I want and not gain a single ounce or pound. If it weren't for the mood swings, I would sell vampirism as the best weight loss program around."

"Yeah, but that would only work if you were _already _thin?"

"Right," Caroline smacked her head with her open palm. "Never mind then." She walked around to the stove and picked up a cookie sheet that was filled with different types of nuts. "Do you want some?"

"Sure."

The two girls began to nibble on the treat.

"Where's Stef?" Caroline asked after a moment.

Bonnie held up her cell phone. "He and Damon have gone out drinking."

Caroline's eyes widened in shock. "On purpose?"

Bonnie chuckled and then reached for a glass from the dish rack. "Apparently. Sure there are lots of other ways for them to bond but if its drinking that'll finally bring them together," she shrugged and headed over to the fridge to get some juice, "who am I to stop them."

"Well, yeah, but the two of them getting tanked and its not even four in the afternoon...you know what. That's them. I'm done trying to figure out the intricacies of the male vampire mind. Whatever works for them its freakin' fantastic."

Bonnie lifted her eyebrows as she filled her glass with fruit punch. She then filled another one for Caroline.

"So," Caroline began tentatively. "Tyler called me last night."

Now it was Bonnie's turn for her eyes to widen in shock. "Oh, yeah and what did Mr. Hybrid have to say for himself?"

Before answering, Caroline licked the salt off her lips and finger tips. "The same thing he said to me at Wickery Lake after Christmas. That he's sorry, and wants to know if I'll consider giving him a second chance," Caroline rolled her eyes at that. "As if I suffer with low self-esteem or something and need my lying, cheating, worthless ex-boyfriend to come and make my life better. He's still a loser with a capital L. But..."

Bonnie knew that was coming.

"He's a cute loser," Caroline grinned slyly and just as soon as her smirk appeared it vanished. "However, I have something he doesn't have and it's self-respect so I promptly told him to take a long walk on a short pier that happened to be over a black hole."

Bonnie clapped her hands. "Bravo!"

Caroline bowed.

"But he said he might be having a get together at his house, and wanted to know if I'll stop by."

Bonnie arched an eyebrow. "And you said?"

"I'd think about it. I don't know. He was being...almost _too _nice."

Bonnie had no comment. Maybe Tyler was sincere in wanting to get things back on track with Caroline, or maybe he wasn't. She had too much on her own plate to figure out.

Once Bonnie was finished with her juice she rinsed her glass out in the kitchen sink. When she looked out through the window which had a view of the backyard, she almost dropped the glass in the sink.

Mr. Hybrid Extraordinaire waved and when she blinked he was gone.

Caroline sensed something was off when she turned around and saw Bonnie frozen with the water still running in the sink.

"Hey...are you trying to run up our water bill?"

Hearing Caroline's voice brought Bonnie out of her stupor and she hastily shut off the water and tried to fix her face. "Sorry."

"Are you okay?" Caroline approached her friend and when she noticed that Bonnie had her gaze locked on the backyard, she too looked out the window but saw nothing of interest—to her at least.

Bonnie absently nodded her head and gently placed the glass back on the dish rack. "I'm fine. Actually I could use a shower."

Her friend stared at Bonnie strangely before jerking her head in the vague direction of the bathroom. "No need to be a stranger. If you need something to change into, my closet is always open."

Bonnie flashed a smile and quickly vacated the premises.

Caroline shook her head. "She's becoming weird just like her boyfriend."

* * *

"You want to dance, woman?"

Bonnie didn't open her eyes. She merely bit down on the corner of her lip and nodded her head. When she finally did, she was greeted with a sinister looking Stefan.

Stefan and Bonnie circled one another on the dance floor. Both of them were feeling as if they were playing bit parts in a B horror movie, but unfortunately this was the state of their lives.

He reached for her hands and brought them up to kiss. Bonnie blushed and flattened herself against him. They swayed in time with the music, Eskimo kissing one another.

"Nervous?" he asked.

Bonnie gave him a look. "About what?"

Stefan winked. "That's my girl."

A cold presence caught her attention and Bonnie stiffened. Stefan knew without asking who it was when a hand landed none-too-gently on his shoulder.

"Stefan...we need to talk."

Stefan disengaged himself from Bonnie yet maintained hand contact.

Klaus looked over Stefan's shoulder. "You don't mind if I borrow him, do you, love?"

What was she supposed to say? Go find your own date and why you're at it jump off a cliff. Bonnie cut her eyes at Klaus and then leaned up to kiss Stefan's cheek.

"I'll be upstairs."

As Bonnie headed over to the staircase, however, she paused and observed the two men as they engaged in conversation. Klaus began to walk away and Stefan reluctantly trailed after him, but not before spotting Bonnie and mouthing those three important words. "I love you."

She sighed and headed to the bathroom.

Bonnie stared at her reflection. Here she stood in the same bathroom where before her relationship with Stefan became public knowledge, they engaged in a quickie.  
She turned on the faucet feeling a sense of deja vu. Downstairs, right now, she knew the details of the plan were unfolding. She didn't want to know all the intricate details of what was going to go down. Yet for her everything ends tonight.

Running her fingertips under the cool water she felt herself slipping into a trance. The buzz of the party below began to wane, and as she concentrated there were two distinct voices she could hear. One belonged to Damon, the other to Tyler. Shutting the water off, Bonnie flicked her eyes up to her reflection again, looking over her mini dress, and her wavy chocolate hair. They were up to something and her inner private investigator desired to go check it out.

She quickly made her way back downstairs just in time to see Damon manhandle Tyler into a vacant room. Damon wasn't supposed to be here. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Bonnie quickly followed.

Standing just outside the door she heard the sounds of a scuffle taking place. She slipped inside the room just in time to see Damon, armed with a stake rear his arm back about to plunge it straight into Tyler's heart. Sucking in a much needed breath of air, Bonnie stretched out her hands and put the whammy on them both. She roasted their brains like chestnuts over an open fire.

Tyler was the first to go down, a huge vein bulging right down the center of his forehead, his back sliding down the wall. Damon dropped, clutching his head as well while groaning her name.

"Bonnnieeeee," he said and the stake fell out of his grasp.

Bonnie kept one arm stretched out towards Tyler until he lost consciousness. Once she was sure he was out like a light, she released Damon from the psychic attack. He coughed unnecessarily.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Damon demanded as he pulled himself to his feet, swaying a little. "You weren't supposed to migraine thingy me."

Feeling peeved, Bonnie replied. "You weren't supposed to kill Tyler!"

Damon stared at her as if to say who would miss him. "He tried to bite me," his tone petulant. Realizing he dropped the stake that was going to kill Klaus, Damon quickly picked it up and slipped it into his inner jacket pocket.

"What is that?"

Damon tried to look innocent. "Nothing."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "Oh, my God is that...?"

Damon shushed her and waved a finger around while mouthing. "They're everywhere."

Momentarily distracted, Bonnie quickly brought her gaze back to Damon and took a step closer.

"Why do you have it?" she mouthed just as quietly.

It was then Damon entered her personal space. "Because I'm the only one who can get inside the house!"

As far as he was concerned that was the end of the discussion. So when he attempted to walk around Bonnie intent on his mission, he should have known she would have detained him for further questioning.

Bonnie grabbed a hold of his leather clad arm, and swung him back in front of her. "Damon...please don't do anything reckless."

His hard expression softened and he gently cupped her cheek. "It's my middle name."

"Yeah," Bonnie agreed. "Along with irresponsible and impulsive."

"I'm going to be all right. Look, find Caroline and get her out of here just in case everything goes to hell in a hand basket."

"Damon..."

"Don't argue with me, Bonnie. _Please_. Get yourself out of here."

Bonnie wanted to say more and most importantly she wanted to ask where his brother disappeared off to, but she already knew her questions wouldn't be answered. She'd find Caroline all right and would do her best to convince her to leave, but as far as she was concerned, Bonnie wasn't going anywhere.

She waited a moment before exiting the room, effectively locking Tyler inside. He was sired to Klaus which meant if Klaus ordered him to take all of his friends out, Tyler wouldn't have a choice but to do as his "master" ordered. How he could sing the praises of the person who pretty much eradicated his free will, Bonnie would never understand it. She was well aware what people would do for those they loved, but there was no love between Tyler and Klaus, so it was baffling he'd follow him as if he were the best thing since sliced bread or something like it.

There were so many people around that it gave her the cover she needed to implement her own plan, the jack up her sleeve-so to speak.

Just as she made it to the back entrance of the house, a pair of arms barricaded around her waist, and Bonnie was plucked off her feet.

Instinct took over and so did memories of being kidnapped. She was in no mood to repeat history in that regard, so Bonnie reared her elbow back and slammed it into the hybrid's eye socket. The man cried out and let go of Bonnie who spun around and jammed the heel of her hand into his nose. The blow was powerful enough to make him slide across the floor and slam into the wall.

This of course garnered the attention of five more hybrids that began to converge on her.

"Okay," Bonnie said and licked her lips. She ran towards the one in the middle, and aimed her stiletto covered foot towards his family jewels. He stopped short never to get up for awhile.

"Bonnie?" Caroline said and found her diminutive friend in the midst of a bar brawl.

Caroline vamped out and went for the hybrid that was closest to her, placing him into a punishing headlock. She swung him around and released and watched with satisfaction as his head ran clean through a wall.

Bonnie was holding her own, moving with surprising agility as she avoided blows from plump fists.

Jumping on the back of a guy who picked up a lamp, Caroline bit into his neck ripping out a significant portion of skin, fat, and muscle. The sight was not pretty.

Somehow both girls found their backs braced up against one another. Bonnie kicked out her legs, landing hits on kidneys, shins, abdominals, any part of flesh she could reach.

Men groaned, grabbed their aching body parts but overall refused to be bested by a pair of girls.

Caroline wiped the blood off her chin with the back of her hand before delivering a skull crushing head butt to an approaching hybrid who was cute despite the fact he was a mindless Klaus-Hoe. If they had met under much different circumstances she probably would have given him her number. As it stood it was her job to take him out and reduce the number in Klaus' camp.

"I leave you alone for five minutes and I find you reenacting 'Kill Bill'."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at Caroline's complaint but knew her vampire friend was having the time of her life.

"Care...who's the blonde between the two of us?"

"Whatever."

There were two left. Bonnie and Caroline exchanged knowing glances.

With a perfectly raised eyebrow in the air, Bonnie balled her little hands into fists. Caroline took the same stance.

Giving out their She-Hulk war cries, the girls executed synchronized roundhouse kicks to the hybrids throats, which sent both men flipping backwards and landing on the Lockwood dining room table.

They waited a moment to make sure they stayed down before turning to each other giving one another double high-fives and a chest bump.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Caroline suggested and the second she stepped over the threshold back into the hallway, something sharp found its way embedded into her neck.

"Not again," she said before dropping unconscious to the floor.

"Caroline!" Bonnie cried and attempted to break her friend's fall, but she didn't catch her before she landed on the floor with a loud thump. Turning around to see who capped Caroline with a vervain dart, her eyes narrowed when she saw one of the hybrids with the dart gun in his hand and a cocky smile on his face.

Bonnie took great pleasure in turning his brains into mush. Telepathetically she forced the double doors to close and then spelled them to remain locked despite the fact there was no lock.

Bonnie dropped to her knees, and took the dart out of Caroline's neck.

In her peripheral she saw Matt casually strolling by. "Matt!"

The man in question retraced his steps, his ocean blue eyes widened when he saw Caroline passed out on the floor and Bonnie looming over her. He rushed over.

"What happened?"

She didn't have time to explain. "She'll be all right. But can you take her home?"

Matt looked flustered but he was already reaching for Caroline. "Something weird is going on."

Bonnie couldn't disagree. "I know. Matt, please just get Caroline home, and stay with her."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine." Bonnie was up and on her feet, walking through the labyrinth of the mayor's mansion.

Bonnie made it to the main foyer and heard voices. She braced herself up against the wall, hiding herself. She listened.

"All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce," Klaus said smugly to the man who he had called father for the last millennium.

Mikael did not look concerned. In fact he had been expecting this type of behavior from Niklaus. It's what he was good at. Hiding behind pawns. No courage whatsoever. Or balls for that matter. He wanted to spit.

"Big bad wolf still playing your games. You haven't changed. But…they're half vampire which means they can be compelled...by me."

Rage marred Klaus' face.

"Come out and face me, Niklaus or I'll kill her, and you won't be able to make anymore of your putrid hybrids."

Bonnie frowned. Who was Mikael threatening?

Klaus might have been a lot of things—stupid wasn't one of them. "Go ahead. I don't care."

"He'll do it," the female voice said frantically.

Bonnie closed her eyes. Elena. Go freaking figure. Could that chick not keep herself out of trouble for one night?

"Here's your chance to prove you aren't the spineless piece of shit I've always found you to be."

His left eye twitched and a tear rolled down Klaus' cheek.

Mikael wanted to laugh out loud. "You're weak. You always were and you always will be. Come out and face me, _boy_," Mikael spat contemptuously.

"NO!" Klaus screamed.

His pseudo father chuckled and then, plunged the knife into Elena's side, puncturing a lung.

Klaus' eyes widened and watched helplessly as Elena fell dead on the porch. He flashed his eyes up at Mikael ready to retaliate, but then something knocked into him, and wood was plunged into his side.

He roared in pain and saw it was the elder Salvatore.

_Gotdamnit_, Damon lamented mentally. As many times as he's staked a vampire tonight of all nights he missed the gotdamn heart! If this were on TV he would have called himself every foul name he could think of. So he began with "You fucking idiot. You're going to die now."

Back on the porch "Elena" popped up like a jack-in-the box. Mikael looked only mildly surprised.

"Katherine," he said.

The cunning vampire dug into her coat pockets retrieving two wolfsbane grenades. She pulled the pins and tossed them in the air at the waiting hybrids.

"Kaboom," she said and wondered why couldn't she think of something wittier to say.

The hybrids cried out in pain. When she turned back to see the action taking place inside the Lockwood Manor, she saw a blur of movement as Stefan tackled Damon off Klaus.

Bonnie then made her move towards the back of the property again.

"What the hell are you doing?" Damon was flabbergasted.

With the brothers distracted, Klaus picked up the intricately carved stake, and flew out the door aiming it straight for Mikael's heart. He didn't miss his target.

Klaus watched with a leer as Mikael combusted into flames and cried out. How fitting he would be the one to end both of his parents.

If only this moment could be commemorated by dramatic music, Klaus would feel ten times more euphoric than he was now.

Katherine chose that moment to make like a banana and split.

Klaus re-entered the house. Stefan was still waiting for him. The two men approached one another.

The original vampire stared pointedly in Stefan's eyes.

"Thank you, my friend. You no longer have to do what I say. You're free."

Stefan felt the bonds tethering him to Klaus fall and breakaway. A weight was being lifted from his shoulders, from the center of his chest, from his balls which that he hadn't expected. It was like having an epiphany, of no longer standing across the room watching yourself behave like an idiot and being powerless to stop it. He was back in control, and all he wanted to do was fly to the moon.

However, there was one very important thing he wanted to do first.

Find Bonnie.

"Now there is one more loose end I need to clear up," Klaus announced and turned cold eyes on Damon.

Remain calm, Damon. You are the Jedi Master of escaping death.

Stefan tried to capture his brother's attention. He knew he was in deep shit with Damon because him stopping Damon from killing Klaus had not been apart of the plan. However there were two sides to every story and at the last second Katherine rushed back to the boardinghouse to tell Stefan that if Damon was successful in killing Klaus, the hybrids would kill Damon.

He had to stop Damon in order to save his life. Stefan would explain. When he had the chance, and bearing Damon didn't attempt to kill him for basically ruining the plan.

Damon was two seconds from splitting before Klaus tried to return the favor when something mind-boggling caught his attention.

A voice cleared and several heads swiveled around.

There was Bonnie but she wasn't the reason several jaws dropped.

Klaus blinked his eyes several times as a man with his face, his eyes, his hair, and his notorious blood red lips and dimples stared back at him.

"What trick is this?" he hissed, and stomped out to the porch. He glared at Bonnie.

"It's no trick," Bonnie said. She briefly flicked her eyes towards Damon and Stefan who wore identical expressions of shock.

The man stepped around Bonnie. "Hello...brother."

The clone super-sped over to Klaus and chomped down on his neck. Klaus struggled to throw him off but found he was impossibly strong.

While all of this was taking place, Bonnie was mumbling a spell.

"Get the hell off me!"

The clone released him and wiped the blood from his lips.

"What have you done?" Klaus asked while covering up the gaping wound on his neck.

"Before we get into that, let me introduce myself. I'm Raphael. Your twin brother."

_Flashback_

"I have a secret."

Bonnie kept her back braced up against the tree.

"I'm not Klaus."

It was silent for a whole minute before she barked out a rude laugh. "What drugs are you on?"

"Klaus" rolled his eyes and placed both hands on the tree, boxing her in. "I'm his twin brother Raphael. Look into my thoughts. See for yourself."

"I rather stay out of your head, thanks."

"Then merely look into my eyes."

Bonnie avoided that until she didn't have a choice. She was then overwhelmed with images. Images of seeing him watch Elijah, Rebekah and Klaus together. Seeing him speaking with his mother, and her sharing the secret of who he really was. He was telling the truth.

"I can help you, Bonnie. I can help you escape Klaus and keep your friends safe. But you have to be willing to do one thing for me...when the time comes. And the moment you do, you all will be free."

"Why should I believe you? Why should I help you? You could have come forward at anytime but you didn't."

"I have my reasons. But I'm here because I want the family I was denied ten centuries ago."

Bonnie scoffed and looked away. "If I were you I'd just remain to live in secret. The original family they ain't the Beavers."

"Doesn't matter. It's still my family, and I have a right to know them."

Bonnie couldn't refute that.

"Help me, Bonnie and I'll return the favor."

"Help you? How?"

"Unite me with my brother."

_End flashback_

Klaus was slow to rise to his feet. "I can't have a twin brother."

"Believe me you do," Raphael assured him. "It's your classic tale, separated at birth. I was left to die from exposure, but someone had a change of heart. I grew up, thrived, and then one day my life irrevocably changed. A woman came to me, and said there was something she needed to do to save my life. She turned me into a vampire, but that wasn't all she did. She put a spell on me that she said may be broken one day if her worst fear should come to pass."

Klaus didn't have to ask who the woman was. It was their mother. "That bitch."

"She told me I had a brother."

"And why have you never revealed yourself to me until now?"

"Until the curse was broken, I could never know you. I wouldn't be safe."

"Because you know I would have killed you."

Raphael smiled. "Precisely. However, you weren't the only one who was cursed."

Damon turned to Stefan. "Is any of this making a lick of sense to you?"

"Not a drop."

Klaus looked unsure. "Did Mikael know about you?"

Raphael shook his head. "The only person I've ever revealed myself to is her."

All eyes flicked to Bonnie.

"Why?" Klaus said through clenched teeth.

Bonnie took a small step forward. "Because I'm the only one who can't be compelled."

"And she was the only one to give me the insurance policy I needed in order to reveal myself to you. Plus she's cute."

Bonnie ignored that. "I bonded your lives, Klaus. If you try to kill him..."

Raphael continued. "You kill yourself."

Klaus growled. He hated when anyone had the drop on him. "And your curse?"

Raphael strolled over to one of the unconscious hybrids and kicked the guy awake. When he came to, Raphael's eyes changed into a deep indigo color and he bit into his wrist and then shoved his bleeding appendage into the hybrid's mouth. When he drank a cup full of blood, Raphael took his wrist away.

Everyone watched the hybrid as he began to bleed out a dark purple fluid as he dropped and writhed on the ground in pain. His eyes changed first into a reddish-golden color, to black, back to red, finally ending in the tawny color of a full-blooded werewolf.

"What are you doing?" Klaus' eyes were lit with rage.

"I'm fixing him. He's becoming a werewolf again," Raphael said calmly. "The curse, which really isn't a curse was to act as a failsafe."

"To undo every hybrid you create," Bonnie added. "The original witch...your mother she knew that if you were clever in figuring out how to break the curse and you succeeded, she had a backup plan to the back up plan. Your twin brother is that backup plan. The balance will never allow your hybrids to live."

"I am going to slaughter you all!" Klaus raged, the tendons on his neck extending.

Stefan flashed over to Bonnie, shielding her, but she pushed him aside. "You can't. We've all had Raphael's blood."

Damon, and Stefan said "What?"

Bonnie turned her attention to Stefan. "Remember this morning when I gave each of you a cup of blood?" She inclined her head in Raphael's direction. "You were drinking his. And with some creative baking, I was able to disguise the taste in the batch of chocolate chip cookies I gave to Alaric, Jeremy, and Elena. That being said," she brought her mint green eyes back to Klaus, "if you attempt to kill any of us, you die. I've linked us all."

Klaus could do nothing but laugh derisively.

Damon feeling like a proud papa arrogantly strolled past Klaus to stand beside Bonnie.

"Bonnie, have I told you how much I love you today?"

Raphael stepped up to Klaus. "For centuries you've been looking for a companion. For someone to understand your plight. Well, I'm here brother."

A tic began in Klaus' jaw. For so long he'd toyed with people for his own entertainment. Toted his family around in coffins when really he could have ditched their bodies in the sea and be done with it. But call him old fashioned or sentimental all he really wanted was to feel included, to feel apart of a bigger picture. He never would have imagined having a twin, an exact replica of himself.

But still he was Niklaus the hybrid and despite Raphael being his twin, they were not the same person. And they would never fully understand one another.

"So now you're going to go around and take my hybrids from me?"

Raphael shook his head. "I merely want the opportunity to get to know my family. That's all."

Damon motioned with his head in the general direction of his car. "We're gonna jet and let you two have your little family reunion."

The threesome began to head towards Damon's car when Raphael called for Stefan.

"Stefan a word?"

The vampire in question closed his eyes and looked at Bonnie.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He nodded his head. There was nothing for her to worry about because he was still very much in love with her. If it were possible, his feelings of love towards her increased now that he was free to make his own decisions again. Stefan cupped her cheek and kissed her.

"Everything is fine," he said and walked over to the double mint twins.

Having one Klaus was bad enough but two...what was the balance thinking?

Damon and Bonnie looked on. She couldn't hear what Raphael was saying to Stefan, but she stiffened the moment the old vampire placed his hands on Stefan's shoulders.

"What's he saying?" she directed at Damon.

He didn't respond right away. "Oh, shit," Damon blurted.

"What?"

Klaus and Raphael vanished, but not before Raphael winked at her.

Damon felt torn. If he repeated what he heard Raphael say...this could potentially start the war all over again.

Bonnie felt her heart racing. "Damon, what did he say to Stefan?"

Reluctantly he made eye contact with Bonnie. "In short, he compelled him...he compelled him to remember...his love for...Elena."

There was a full minute of silence before Bonnie exploded. "You fucking bastard!" she snarled to the air around them. She began speaking rapidly in Latin. Damon had no idea what she was saying but he felt a heavy pressure in the air.

The trees swung angrily as the wind blew violently. Damon had to actually hold himself upright to avoid being thrown on his ass by the velocity of the wind.

Just as quickly as whatever assault Bonnie led, it disappeared and she hesitantly walked over to Stefan.

The moment she reached him, Stefan's eyes were glazed and he looked lost.

"Stefan...?"

He stared at her blankly as if he didn't know her face. He looked around, briefly made eye contact with his brother before taking a step backwards.

"Stefan don't!" Bonnie pleaded.

His mouth opened but nothing came out.

"I-I..." Stefan muttered and then he too vanished.

The sounds of the party could be heard but there was nothing save the ringing in Bonnie's ears that her worst nightmare just became a reality.

Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She fainted.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Now that I'm slowly starting to become a JoMo fan, I wouldn't mind seeing two of him on TVD he-he. I tend to avoid real life shipping but now that Kat's single, and JoMo has a special affinity for her…one plus one equals two ;) Anyways I wrote this chappie before we all learned about the desiccation spell. The gang needed someway to get Klaus off their backs so I thought, hmm why not give him a twin who can counter everything Klaus does. Well, the season premiere is tonight. I had gotten used to not watching TVD on Thursdays, let's see how the fudgery will continue. Until then, love you guys!**


	28. Know Thyself

**A/N: After 4x02 I can say that a tiny part of my endearing love for Stefonnie has returned, but not fully. I shipped them since 2010, I believe, but now I think more people are flocking to Stefonnie after last night's episode. Here is the latest. Enjoy.**

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

She was going to destroy his house. Damon could feel it. Bonnie was going to tear the boardinghouse down brick by brick if Stefan's sorry ass wasn't there to tell her everything was sunshine and rainbows. While he drove them through town, he mentally recapped everything that went wrong and the small things that went right.

They had managed to take away Klaus' all-knowing power, so if he attempted to make more hybrids his trusty twin would be right there to put the smack down on him. And if Klaus tried to retaliate by sticking a dagger into Raphael's chest—well Klaus would be signing his own death certificate. Damon wouldn't have to go into the vampires' version of the witness protection program. He could live out his days in peace and prosperity now that Bonnie made it so that if Klaus attempted to harm a single hair on his pretty little head, Klaus would feel the effects of it also.

This was all good news.

The bad news...Stefan was either on his way to win Elena back, or he was waiting at the manor for Bonnie to rip him a new one.

Unfortunately Damon knew his brooding brother fairly well so it was safe to say that Stefan would not be at the boardinghouse. Therefore, Bonnie was going to wreck his shit.

Sure there were a few antique pieces he'd like to preserve and save yet at the end of the day it was just stuff and stuff could always be replaced with better stuff.

Damon slanted his eyes at his passenger who had regained consciousness not too long ago.

There was no emotion on Bonnie's face. This was a bad thing, Damon reasoned as he pressed his foot harder on the gas. The faster he made it home, the quicker they could get this upcoming ugly scene out of the way and he can get some shut eye. Oh, he could go all night, but there was nothing like getting a full night's rest after failing to kill an Original vampire.

Damon hadn't even put his car all the way into Park before Bonnie jumped out of it once he made the turn off into the driveway. She moved almost as fast as a vampire towards the front door and he was quick on her heels following after her.

She slammed opened the door and bellowed, "Stefan!" She charged up the stairs repeatedly screaming his name, each scream becoming more hysterical and high pitched than the one before it. Damon strolled over to the bar and poured himself a shot.

Her feet thundered back down the stairs, cheeks stained with tears, helplessness and fury dancing in her green orbs.

"Where the hell is he?"

"Bonnie," Damon said quietly. "I know you don't want to hear this but Raphael didn't compel him to fall back in love with Elena. He told him to _remember _his love for Elena."

"What's the damn difference?" she marched over to him and intercepted his shot of scotch. She downed it and made a face of disgust. "He's gone, Damon. He left me."

They didn't know that for sure although the evidence was hinting strongly towards that fact.

"He didn't leave you. He's just not here."

Her eyes turned glacial and Damon actually felt a chill lick up his spine. "Who's side are you on?" she demanded.

"Your side of course," he said because it was the smart thing to say at a time like this. Self-preservation was key.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and poured herself another shot. This one she consumed just as quickly and then threw the crystal glass as hard as she could towards the fireplace. It shattered like fireworks.

_Great now I'm going to have to clean that up_, Damon thought.

The lights flickered. Baubles and knick knacks began to gyrate on table tops, the fire roared to inferno proportions in the fireplace. Damon looked around worriedly for a second because he wasn't sure if the house was two seconds from imploding. Little by little, things began to calm down, the furniture no longer moving like wind-up toys.

Whatever fight was left in Bonnie was slowly dissolving into sadness. Her head dropped to her chest.

Damon could smell the mounting saline in the air.

And just as he made a move to go and comfort Bonnie, his cell buzzed.

"Hello?"

"Damon...just calling to say goodbye."

"Katherine."

"It was a good plan and coming from me that's a compliment."

"Where are you now?"

"Putting as much distance between me and Klaus. Like always."

Damon really didn't have anything else to say to her except, "Take care of yourself, Katherine."

"It's what I do best. Who knows...maybe you'll see me around again."

Almost two years ago Damon would have given his left nut to spend any amount of time with Katherine, but now...if she chose to stay away for all eternity he'd send her a thank you card for finally giving him exactly what he wanted from her. Absolutely nothing.

He hung up the same time she did.

And that's when he noticed Bonnie was sitting in front of the fireplace with Sheila beside her.

He approached them both.

"Stefan still loves you."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. Although she couldn't say she was rightly dumped, the emptiness in Stefan's eyes as he looked at her told her she might as well have been. And that's what she was feeling.

"I'll call Elena."

"What for?" Bonnie questioned.

"To see if Stefan popped up."

Bonnie remained silent while Damon made the call.

"Hey Elena you haven't seen Stefan have you?"

"No why? What happened tonight? Caroline called me and said that she was vervained by one of Klaus' hybrids."

"I'll fill you in on what happened tomorrow. Just...call me if you talk to Stefan."

"Okay, but I don't know why he'd want to talk to me. Is Bonnie okay?"

He peered down at the girl in question. "She's...tired. It was a long night."

"Is Klaus dead?"

Damon sighed heavily. "Unfortunately he's not but Mikael is."

Elena swore an expletive. "What happened?"

Damon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Like I said, I'll fill you in tomorrow. I'll talk to you later," he hung up before Elena could begin her notorious inquisition.

"He's not with Elena."

Bonnie snorted. "She could have been lying."

Yeah, she could have been. The dark vampire folded himself neatly beside Bonnie. The two of them watched the dancing flames in silence.

Tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

"Why would Raphael do this? After giving my word I wouldn't reveal his secret until it was time, and agreeing to link his life with Klaus. Why?"

"He did it because he wants you for himself. And what better way to lure you to his side than by eliminating his competition. But what he failed to realize is that Stefan isn't a mindless Martian. He'd like everyone to believe he is, but that is a calculating bastard and he never gives up without a fight. He will fight for you, Bonnie."

Bonnie allowed Damon's words to sink in.

"Where do you think he is?"

"Probably hiding and feeling sorry for himself. Once that phase passes, he'll be back," Damon assured.

The fire popped and crackled. "It's late. Maybe you should head off to bed," Damon suggested.

Bonnie could only shake her head. She didn't want to sleep. Especially not alone and in their bed when Stefan wasn't there. Plus she was too pissed off to sleep anyways.

"I'll sleep when he comes back," she wiped the tears from her face. "If he does," she added quietly.

* * *

Katherine pulled her car over to the side of the road and cut the engine. She stared out the windshield for a moment before bringing her eyes to her passenger.

Stefan, with the back of his head resting on the head rest, chewed on his thumbnail.

"Where are you going to go?" Katherine asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't matter. I can't go back...not after what I've done."

"What did you do? You stopped Damon from killing Klaus and saved your brother's life."

"I wasn't talking about that, but about...how I treated everyone. Especially Elena. The things I said to her, how I treated her."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "You were under compulsion, Stefan. In a way you weren't responsible for what came out of your mouth."

"I still had a choice, Katherine. My humanity..." he didn't finish his thought. He didn't need to.

They grew quiet for a while. "That's the thing about humanity, Stefan no matter how much you want to shut it off it finds a way back in. It's a vampire's greatest weakness. You care when you don't want to give a shit and every time you do that's when you find yourself about to die."

Hearing her prophetic words made Stefan lift his eyebrows. "I don't know if I want it all to come back in."

Katherine sighed. "Why are you so gloomy? Something else happened."

"Just leave it alone, Katherine."

The long-haired vampire shifted in her seat to face Stefan. He wouldn't have runaway if everything was honky-dory. She was aware of his relationship with the witch so shouldn't he be with Bonnie instead of her unless...

A light bulb lit over Katherine's head. "Did Klaus compel you to fall back in love with Elena?"

"No."

"So what's the problem?"

"I love Bonnie but I can't help remembering the way I feel for Elena and now I feel like I've spent the last six months cheating on her."

Katherine couldn't help it; she laughed, cackled, and snickered.

"You didn't cheat on her."

"I know I didn't but that's how I feel."

Katherine nodded her head. "And something tells me the witch doesn't give second chances."

"She doesn't," Stefan deadpanned.

"So what are you going to do?"

He had no earthly idea; he just knew that being in Mystic Falls right this second wasn't where he needed to be. There were plenty of people who would disagree greatly with his train of thought, but this was how he typically operated. When things began to get too thick and the walls were closing in, Stefan retreated to his one safe place, which really wasn't safe at all. He retreated into himself. For so long he wondered the earth not wanting to intentionally hurt a single soul because of the monster he used to be, and finally finding the right balance of predator and sentient being, to have it all taken away from him and to have it restored yet again—was like being injected with adrenaline when you're already high on speed.

Throw in his notorious martyr complex and he was a walking emotional nuclear weapon.

"You can always come with me," Katherine said when the silence began to be too much.

Stefan snorted and flicked his eyes at her. She shared Elena's face and that was about it. But the one thing he could never fault Katherine for was her adventurous and daring side.

Yet the time for partying and being reckless was over. He held other peoples lives in his hand. Right now wasn't the time to throw things up in the air and see where they land.

"Sorry but I would only rain on your parade, kiddo," he reached for the door handle and opened it. "But it looks like this is my stop."

Katherine watched him climb out of the car. "Stefan?"

He ducked down to peer at her. "Yeah?"

"You know I love you. The you, you are now."

Stefan's smirk was anything but bashful. "You never loved me, Katherine. The only person you've ever loved is yourself."

She shook her head. "That's not true. I loved and still love you." Katherine looked away from a moment. "And I loved Damon, too. You know I would never say this but…I think the witch is good for you. She has my spunk and feistiness, not my fashion sense though. Pity," Katherine grinned and winked at Stefan. Again, all he could do was smirk. "If you want to be with her, you need to let her know before it's too late. I don't want you to end up like me. Always running."

Stefan stared at Katherine for a moment wondering when the hell she matured so much. He inclined his head in that notorious way he did when he was being modest.

"Take care of yourself, Katherine. Stay out of trouble. Or…if you cause trouble…"

"Deny everything. You do the same, Stefan."

The vampires didn't say anymore words to each other because there was nothing else left to be said. Katherine sped away from the side of the road leaving Stefan in a cloud of dust. He watched until her taillights disappeared around the curve. He brought his eyes up to the night sky and had no idea where he was going to go or for how long he would stay gone. If anything, he knew that Damon would look after everyone.

Something painful lanced through his belly at the thought of Damon being there for Bonnie—in particular. Lamenting the fact he may have just forked over the keys to Bonnie's heart to the one person he wanted her to stay as faraway from, with every fiber of his being Stefan wanted to turn right back around to Mystic Falls. He was perhaps only three hours north, straddling the Maryland state line.

Yet, what would he say to her?

Until he had everything figured out, he'd leave Bonnie alone. In the end it would be for the best.

He started walking.

* * *

Bonnie stood up on the balcony outside of Stefan's room with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Her eyes went back and forth across the landscape as if she were watching a tennis match. Everything was familiar yet felt out of place, like a vital key was missing.

After the fiasco of last spring where Elijah double crossed them and didn't end Klaus like he said he would, Bonnie stuck around long enough to make absolutely certain Klaus was gone for good. When she was notified that Stefan went along with Klaus to be his ripper, Bonnie could honestly say she was worried about Stefan but not enough to put her safety on the line to coax him out of a werewolf love fest in the Blue Ridge Mountains like Elena attempted to do.

In all honesty, over the summer she barely had a thought about Stefan. The less she knew of his antics the easier it would be for her to sleep at night.

Flash forward a year and here she was facing an identical problem like Elena. Stefan was gone of his own free will and there was no sign in the sky pointing to his return.

Damon had offered his blood to try a locator spell, but…she was too emotionally volatile to pull it off. She'd try it in the morning. Besides there was more than one way of finding someone.

Bonnie ran her eyes across the landscape again before saying in Latin, "Stefan…Stefan come home. To me. Come back."

* * *

His eyes popped open and stared up at the popcorn ceiling of the cheapest motel room he could find. Stefan walked on foot for ten miles before coming across the hotel that rented out by the hour. It was dirty and dismal and smelled as if someone had recently been murdered there. He didn't care. He just needed an isolated place to lay his head.

And as much as he wanted peace, none came because every time he closed his eyes he'd either see naked creamy or caramel skin over his, or feel phantom strands of long raven or wavy chocolate hair, or he'd see pearly white teeth exposed in an adorable smile. It was the eyes, however, which made his spring open. Haunting dark brown or fiery emerald green. They were engrained in him and there was little he could do to stop the gauntlet of memories of loving Bonnie and Elena.

Everything inside of him screamed to return to Mystic Falls, but he just couldn't. Not now. There was so much junk inside his head he needed a few days to figure it all out.

But he heard Bonnie's voice in his head as if she were standing across the room.

Stefan slowly leaned up in bed and looked around the darkened room. He was alone, yet he felt Bonnie's presence with him.

He blindly reached for his cell phone, and merely stared at it for ten minutes before speed dialing her.

The phone in Bonnie's hand vibrated. She answered without looking at who was calling.

"Stefan...Stefan where are you?"

Hearing her voice made him weak inside and as much as he wanted to answer her, he couldn't gather a single word to say to her.

"Stefan...come home. I need you."

His hand tightened on his cell phone. He wanted to come home, bury himself in her warmth, yet at the same time he couldn't get Elena's face out of his mind. He had put her through hell for the last ten months. Four of those months she spent trying to find him, and once she did, he told her he didn't love her anymore, but he hadn't meant it. He was merely trying to get her to stop coming after him because Klaus couldn't find out she was still alive.

But he loved Bonnie. He knew he did, but...he loved Elena, too. And he wouldn't drag them through another complicated love triangle. He was sick of those. And they didn't deserve that type of treatment.

"Stefan..." Bonnie felt her patience wearing thin. "Say something."

"Bonnie..."

Her heart melted at hearing him speak her name. "Where are you?"

"I'm not in Mystic Falls."

"I kind of figured that much. Where are you?"

"Bonnie I'm with Katherine."

Her heart stopped. The earth ceased spinning, fell off its axis and rolled off the table like a marble.

"What?" finally passed through her lips.

Stefan hated lying to her, but he needed time. Time to figure something's out in his mind. And he couldn't do it with Bonnie around, with Elena around. The both of them would want something from him, would want him to pick a side and stick with it. Well, Stefan needed to work on Stefan because the shame he felt in how he behaved towards the people he considered his friends was increasing every hour on the hour.

"I'm," his throat closed in and he couldn't get it out. "I'm with Katherine. Look I'll call you in a few days."

Bonnie stared at her phone when she heard the dial tone.

* * *

The days came and went. Life continued on. Bonnie went to class but couldn't recall a single thing that was taught. Some of her classmates looked at her sympathetically. Word on the street was that she and Stefan were going through a messy breakup and he left her for another girl.

Yeah, how right and wrong they were simultaneously.

And as much as not having Stefan around pissed her the fuck off, Bonnie mustered on through life because that's what was expected of her. She no longer had the luxury of doing things in a half-assed manner. She couldn't do anything else to jeopardize her chances of winning a scholarship, and right now, fleeing the endless misery of her life by winning the scholarship to study abroad in Switzerland was a wonderful alternative.

But there was something else gnawing at her. Her mother.

Klaus said he knew where Abby Bennett was. So Bonnie used her own blood to find her mother and got a vague location. She lived somewhere near or off the coast of South Carolina. So she was close. If Bonnie wanted to she could hire a private investigator to pinpoint her exact location, but what would Bonnie say if her mother was ever found?

Bonnie knew the first two hours of their conversation would not be pretty.

She sighed and her thoughts took another sharp trajectory back to Stefan.

Was feeling blind rage the closest to feeling empty? That sounded like an oxymoron and more than likely it was, but that's how Bonnie felt. Nothing made sense anymore.

Not her life. Not the thoughts floating through her head. Not the memories that refused to leave her alone. She was at a standstill, an impasse, a huge precipice with no way to get to the other side.

Stefan got his humanity back and what's the first thing he decided to do—run off with Katherine. Katherine? KATHERINE of all people! He left town for a few days, returned, and hadn't said a word to her. Not a single sentence. Not a single phrase. Not a peep. Nuthin.

She broke her cell phone on purpose because every time it didn't ring was an insult.

Caroline had tried to cheer up her. Didn't work. Elena tried to be supportive by saying give it time. She wasn't an hourglass. Alaric stared at her sympathetically and said if she needed anything—call him. What for? They weren't all that tight for her to just spill her guts to him.

And Damon…

Well she hadn't heard from him either. Just as well. He only would have said I told you so. The goblins under her bed were already doing a bang-up job in that regard.

Suddenly her bed dipped and for one tantalizing moment Bonnie thought her groans had been answered. Stefan had come to his senses to realize the world wasn't over, it was merely beginning, but then _he _had to shatter her fantasy by clearing his throat.

Bonnie pulled the covers off her head and found a sly-looking Damon lounging on her bed.

"What's shaking?" he asked and then ate a hand full of M&M's. "Do you know there's enough chocolate in your cabinets to knock someone into a diabetic coma?"

"What are you doing in my house?"

"To cheer you up, silly. I know prom is this weekend and I know how determined you are to sulk and waste away. Stefan…the old Stefan has returned and the one you've come to love has left the building. Deal with it and move on," he said a bit irritably.

Someone moved the thermostat on her pressure cooker because Bonnie was heated. How dare he just waltz into her house, into her room as if he had a right to be there and then tell her to "deal" with being abandoned because of some dickhead's suggestion? Bonnie felt like someone sawed off her arm with a plastic knife.

"How can you just say deal with it and move on like it was a deal that went bad? It wasn't like I lost the lottery or forgot to turn in my homework, Damon. I fell in love with Stefan and he left me."

"You're just being overdramatic."

Bonnie growled and pounced.

It was a good thing he had quick reflexes or she would have gouged his eyes out. Instead she caught a fist full of his ink black hair and tugged. And it was a good thing his nervous system only reacted to wood and vervain otherwise that would have hurt like Hades.

Damon allowed Bonnie's abuse to continue before turning the tables and regaining the upper hand by pining her against the floor, with both of her wrists in his hand.

"Get off of me!" she roared and kicked her legs trying her best to get free.

"Not until you calm down. You want to be mad at the world that's fine, I'm not stopping you, but I refuse to let you feel sorry for yourself over Stefan."

"Damon…" her eyes were tearing up.

"Listen to me, Bonnie, you knew there was a possibility that Klaus's compulsion would either be lifted voluntarily or involuntarily, and you allowed yourself to fall in love with Stefan anyways. And yeah, no one was expecting his twin to come and fuck you over, but he did. You can be mad and want everyone within a twenty mile radius dead; it still won't change the facts.

"The question you need to ask yourself is: what am I going to do with the rest of my life? Pine away for some guy who could run back to your best friend at any moment, or deal with the reality of the situation, fight your way through the pain, and never look back?"

He was right and he was being rational. Didn't mean Bonnie had to like it. She didn't want to make eye contact with Damon but he did get off of her and helped her to her feet.

They were silent for a while.

"I'm dealing with this in my own way and I'm sorry you don't approve, but this is what I'm choosing to do."

"Then while you do it you can still have a little fun."

She looked dubious. "How?"

"By coming with me to Miami. I heard through the grapevine that the theme for prom is Burlesque," snort, "I see Caroline's signature all over that one. But I know a place in Miami where you can see a real Burlesque show. Interested? Because what else are you going to do? Gorge yourself on Edy's, cry over chick flicks, and man bash?" he shook his head disapprovingly. "Coming with me will be like giving everyone who ever wronged you the finger. And it'll feel great and liberating."

"You and me in Miami? Sounds like trouble."

Damon's grin was dangerous. "I certainly hope so. You only have an hour to decide and then I'll be on my way to the airport."

"Wait, what? I can't just…I need more time to think…"

Damon caught Bonnie by the arms and bent his knees so he could look her directly in the eye. "That's the problem with you, Witchy, you think too much. Don't think, just act. It's how I live my life."

Damon began to stroll towards the door, but Bonnie stopped him. "Damon, hold on."

He turned to face her with a cocky grin in place.

"I'll come if we can go to South Carolina instead."

"Hun?"

Bonnie pushed her matted hair behind her ears. She very rarely asked Damon for anything other than to leave her alone, so asking him to go with her to find her mother took a lot. She wasn't sure if he would want to give up having a blast in Miami in order to be her shoulder to cry on while she pounded the pavement looking for her long-lost mother. It could mount to being another tragedy filled weekend.

"Klaus threatened my mother the night he and I had dinner. And she's been on my mind ever since. I did a locator spell and I know she's living somewhere on the coast of South Carolina."

Damon laid a hand on his chest to emphasize his next question. "And you want me to go with you?"

She nodded her head. Bonnie realized she could have asked Caroline or even Elena—the latter she was trying her best not to feel resentment towards but it was hard—but Damon had just the right emotional detachment that she knew he'd be objective the whole time, and not fuel any emotion outside of rage and contempt.

And besides she didn't want her friends to miss their senior prom. They had only been waiting since hitting puberty for this moment.

"Well," he slid his hands into the back pocket of his jeans. "It's not exactly the land of bronzed skin, and mini bikinis, but where there's a coast there's bound to be water and sand. Count me in, Witchy."

Relief flooded her but Bonnie banked showing him how grateful she truly was. "Thank you, Damon."

"Shouldn't cost more than my weight in gold to change flight plans at the last second," he quipped. "Be ready to roll, Bennett."

* * *

**Mystic Falls High**

There were glitzy flyers posted up and down the hallways of a statuesque woman wearing a beaded twenties inspired flapper's dress, standing behind a rhinestone encrusted microphone advertising this year's prom theme: Burlesque.

Tyler and Matt stood next to their lockers looking at the flyer that was dumped into their hands by a member of the prom committee as a reminder. Not like anyone could forget the most unforgettable night of a high school senior's life.

The two young men exchanged bemused and skeptical looks with one another.

"Burlesque?" Tyler deadpanned. "That's the theme of the prom?"

"Yeah," Matt drawled. "Dude, I'm so not wearing fishnets or eyeliner."

Tyler chuckled and began to advance down the hall. Matt fell in step with him. "So?" Tyler began tentatively. "Who are you going with?"

Matt shrugged noncommittally. "After the disastrous Spring Fling I think I'm done with high school dances altogether."

Tyler did not want to replay those moments of fighting with Damon and then being mentally assaulted by Bonnie. She was hot when she did her witchy thing, he'd give her that much, but having someone burst the blood vessels in his brain…well it was still kind of hot.

"Who are you going with?" Matt asked.

"No one. Caroline has placed me on her hit list and there's no one else around who I find remotely interesting."

Both guys became more alert when they saw Stefan approaching them from the other end of the hall. Tyler heard what happened when he and the rest of the Scooby Doo bunch failed to kill Klaus, and that Klaus' twin pulled the ultimate rope-a-dope by compelling Stefan to remember his love for Elena. Tyler may have contained an ounce of sympathy for Stefan but all year he had been the town's asshole, and figured he got what he rightfully deserved.

A naughty thought popped into his head right when their paths were about to intersect.

"Then again I know both Elena and Bonnie are free this weekend. I might ask one of them."

Matt almost tripped over his own feet. His eyes immediately crossed over to Stefan whose face one minute was emotionless and in the next second his eyes narrowed.

Matt leaned in a little closer to Tyler to whisper, though it was pretty much pointless. Super-hearing was one of the perks to being a vampire.

"Dude are you fucking crazy?"

"What?" Tyler asked coyly and tried very hard not to bust out laughing. "Stefan has pretty much kicked Bonnie to the curb. You know…girls on the rebound are awfully fun. This college chick I dated said that the easiest way for her to get over a guy was to get under a new one," Tyler winked. "If you know what I mean."

Matt's eyes grew as large as saucers when he saw Stefan stop walking as if someone hit the pause button on a DVD.

He so wasn't in the mood to break up a fight between a hybrid and a vampire. He was strong for a human but not supernatural strong.

Yet Tyler kept at it. "In truth I've always kind of had a thing for Bonnie. She's just the right height and size to make a man feel like man. And she's super flexible which will definitely come in handy."

"Tyler, if you don't shut the hell up I can't promise you'll be able to have an open casket funeral."

Tyler chuckled and stopped walking. He turned to look at Stefan who did the same. Both supernatural's faced off.

"Something you want to say to me, Salvatore?"

A litany of emotions raged over the vampire's face. Tyler noticed that Stefan had folded his body into a defensive stance.

"No," Stefan said after a moment. "Matt said enough. You go near Bonnie or Elena, and I'll make sure no one finds your body."

Tyler stood to his full height but when a teacher cleared her throat, he backed off.

"Gentlemen," Stefan said cordially and continued on his way to class.

Once they began walking again, Matt punched Tyler on the arm.

"Um…ow," Tyler said grabbing the spot Matt's fist made contact with. "What was that for?"

"You are such a freaking idiot, Tyler. Stefan could have ripped your heart out."

"Not in a crowded hall he wouldn't have."

"Yeah, but the day's not over and there are lots of places he can drag you off too and yeah, it would take a while for someone to find your body."

Tyler couldn't deny the truth to Matt's words, but he wasn't scared of Stefan. Not by a long shot.

* * *

**Smithfield, North Carolina**

The air conditioning had gone out sometime during the night. Covers were thrown off heated flesh and laid discarded on the floor. Thick hair matted to the back of her neck, which made her unbearably hotter. She huffed and puffed looking for a cool spot on the queen sized mattress to get comfortable, but within seconds the sheets would be drenched with her sweat.

"Will you keep still?" asked an irritated voice from the other side of the room. "You're disturbing me."

"Shut up, Damon," Bonnie growled in reply. "It's hotter than Satan's toe nails in this room. How is it you aren't sweating like a pig?" In the dim light of the room Bonnie could see Damon lying corpse-still on his back on the other hotel bed.

She couldn't see his cocky smile, but knowing him the way she did, knew he was wearing one.

"Because, _human_ I don't feel temperature the way you do. I'm perfectly fine. Now, can you keep still? You're literally waking the dead with all that tossing and turning you're doing."

Bonnie picked up a pillow and threw it at his head. Expecting the reaction, Damon shot out an arm and caught it before it made impact with his chest.

"Thanks," he said prior to stuffing the pillow under his neck.

Bonnie sighed and flopped back on her belly hoping to get some relief from the piping heat of the room. The only reason they were here to begin with is she didn't want Damon to pay a fortune to get their flights switched so she suggested they drive to South Carolina. Bonnie did the locator spell again but tweaked it to get a more accurate destination. So she knew for certain that her mother lived on a little piece of land called James Island.

If they had gone to a pricier hotel instead of stopping at the first one they spotted off the highway, she would have opened the window or cracked open the door. But she was unfamiliar with the area and tourists usually became victims of crime due to ignorance or opportunity. Even with a vampire as her chaperone it was always better to be safe rather than sorry.

With every rustle of her skin against the sheets made Damon want to grind his teeth. He needed absolute silence to get to sleep. He had always been that way. But with Bonnie's constant movements, sleep was eluding him. He had done a bulk of the driving from Mystic Falls to their current location, Smithfield, North Carolina. He would have kept driving all the way to James Island, but then the alternator in his car blew so they had no choice but to stop. It was currently staying overnight at the shop to be worked on in the morning.

So that's how they ended up at Americas Best Value Inn. Oh, how he couldn't _wait _to tell Alaric and the others of his high class trip across the south!

Damon believed this goose egg hunt they were on was a waste of time. In his opinion Bonnie's mother did a real shitty thing leaving her to be raised by an indifferent father so she could go off and live life without the hindrances of marriage and motherhood. She put her daughter through hell and for that alone he felt Bonnie should just wash her hands clean of her. But Bonnie wanted answers, and most importantly she wanted to know Abby's connection to Klaus. Now that was a part of the story a guy like him was the most interested in hearing.

Did he feel Bonnie was entitled to answers? Sure. If he were in her position someone would have a whole hell of a lot of explaining to do. However, what he was most curious about was why Bonnie picked him to tag along and not one of her friends?

Yeah, so they've managed to bury the hatchet and get along for the last couple of months. Still being reunited with one's parent was a deeply personal experience, and Damon wasn't certain he and Bonnie shared that level of a connection.

Or maybe she just wanted some eye candy around, he thought.

He sighed again as Bonnie continued to flip and flop in the adjacent bed.

He could be on the beach drinking a Baha Mama with a hot Brazilian model right now if they had gone with his original plan of flying to Miami. But nooo, Bonnie was adamant about finding her mother before Klaus decided to pay her a visit—again.

The air had gone out in Room 24, their room. He did feel the change in temperature from wintry to stuffy. It didn't bother him because unlike humans, his body temperature never changed. Sighing heavily when Bonnie turned roughly in the bed, he opened his eyes and glared at her.

"Get over here, Bennett," he said through clenched teeth.

Bonnie shifted until she faced him. "What?"

"I'm a lot cooler than the room right now."

"Are you suggesting that I get into bed with you and…cuddle?" That image alone made her shudder. "Forget it."

"I'm not going to do anything. Look, I'm sure my bed is a lot cooler than yours is at the present moment. If you don't expect me to run off the road due to sleep deprivation, I suggest you move your _ass_ over here so I can get some sleep."

Bonnie stopped all restless movements. Her body was begging for sleep. In fact she felt almost too tired to sleep if that made sense. But…she'd have to get in bed with Damon. Her mind zapped through appropriate alternatives. She couldn't get into bed with Damon. That was too personal. And her insides screamed about how _wrong _it would be to share a bed with Damon. He was Damon after all.

But she was terribly hot and the bed was big enough for them to lie on and not touch each other at all.

With no recourse left open to her, Bonnie quietly slipped out of bed and tentatively approached Damon.

The room was pitch-black, yet she could see his alabaster body clearly laid out on the hotel bed dressed in nothing more than a pair of black boxers. He kind of glowed in the dark and she chuckled.

"What the hell is so funny?" Damon demanded sharply.

"Nothing," she replied and crawled into bed, lying on the very edge. The minute her back hit the sheets, she felt chilled.

"You can get a little closer," his cool voice said. "I won't bite."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and shifted only an inch or two closer to him. Damon never moved though he was stretched out in the middle of the bed, not leaving her much room or choice but to get closer to him if she didn't want to fall out of it.

His impatience getting the better of him, Damon slipped an arm around her waist and drew her up against him. Bonnie gasped at the contact of his frigid skin against hers. They laid side by side, their heads almost sharing a pillow.

Bonnie felt it necessary to throw out a warning. "You try anything and I will pop your head like a tomato."

He said nothing in reply, but simply chortled.

For the first twenty minutes, Bonnie merely stared up at the ceiling, her body rigid. She wasn't sure if Damon was asleep or not, but his eyes were closed and his chest rose up and down very subtly. After another ten minutes passed her breathing slowed, the sweat dried up on her body, and then she fell asleep.

**7:28 a.m.**

Bonnie groaned and wiped a sliver of drool off her cheek. She wiggled until she found a comfortable spot and then she felt her body relaxing back into a deep sleep. When she felt a sharp intake of breath against her chest, her brow furrowed. When did the bed start moving? She wondered and then peeled open one eye.

_That's funny_, her mind thought as she processed that the sheet she was on top of resembled a man's chest. She giggled and then snuggled against the sheet until she felt something heavy tighten against her waist.

Bonnie jolted up and her eyes landed on the sleeping face of Damon Salvatore. At first her reaction was to scream, but that was after she examined their precarious situation. She was sleeping _on top _of Damon. Not beside him, but on top of him. How in the hell had that happened?

She hastily scrambled off of him and fell to the floor. Bonnie snapped her eyes back to Damon who still slumbered away.

_Oh, Jesus, _her mind thought. She never should have agreed to sleep beside him, but the room was just so unbearably hot and she couldn't sleep. The way she slept with him was how she slept with Stefan. And thinking of Stefan made her do one of two things: burst into tears, or curse the entire planet.

Bonnie slowly rose to her feet and looked down at Damon only to make sure he was still asleep. He was, or he was playing possum. But then she just found herself kind of staring at him. Bonnie couldn't recall ever seeing him look so peaceful; his face actually looked ten years younger when he slept. And he was a very proportionate man, and muscular. All of that she knew, but seeing it up close and personal…

Bonnie switched her thoughts. They weren't heading to a good place and she was vulnerable.

She moved across the room to get her duffel. With the sun shining through the slit in the curtains, she could see more of his body. Not once had he snuggled under the sheets, and he still lay flat as a board on his back. If she didn't know better she'd think he really was dead. But surreptitiously she kept her eyes on him while she gathered her materials for a shower.

Once she had everything, Bonnie tip toed to the bathroom.

"Great," she muttered once discovering the lock on the bathroom door was broken.

Sighing at her luck, Bonnie turned the cold water on in the sink on full blast and repeatedly splashed her face.

Well there was nothing awkward about finding yourself sleeping on top of your boyfriend's brother, Bonnie thought as she wiped her face off, and began brushing her teeth. Instead of focusing on the creature on the other side of the door, Bonnie began to map out what she'd say to her mother once she found her.

She was doing a bold thing by showing up on her doorstep out of the blue without a hint of warning. But it wasn't like Abby Bennett gave her much of a warning when she left her fifteen years ago.

Bonnie spat out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth. She took a quick shower and when she walked out into the bedroom, Damon was up and scratching his scalp.

She avoided making direct eye contact with him as she headed over to her side of the room.

"The bathroom's all yours," she said by way of saying good morning. Damon looked at her for a moment, noted the tenseness to her shoulders and the fact she was avoiding making eye contact with him.

He rose to his feet and approached Bonnie, towering over her.

Too much of his skin was exposed and Bonnie felt her cheeks warming. What happened to those days where she could look at him dispassionately and with hatred? Oh, how she missed those days.

"Bonnie, look at me."

She didn't want to, but did after hesitating.

Damon just happened to be standing in the sliver of direct sunlight that was pouring into the room so it made his ice-blue eyes magnetic, and it added definition to his ripped muscles.

She gulped nervously.

"I know today is going to be hard, but you're strong. So say what needs to be said, and don't have any regrets about it."

_That's what he wanted to talk about, _she sighed in relief. Not the fact they shared a bed and that she practically used him as one last night.

Bonnie nodded her head.

"All right. I'll be ready to go in twenty," he said and headed towards the bathroom.

Bonnie utilized that time to check the room to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind, and to put on her makeup.

**James Island, South Carolina**

Damon rolled his car down a picturesque avenue searching for the last known address of Abby Bennett who was now called Abby Wilson. It took very little investigative work on their end to track her down. That was one of the things about living in the south; people knew people and they loved to talk. The first store they happened to wonder into, Bonnie showed the picture of her mother and asked the cashier if she ever bought anything. Most certainly she had, in fact her mother was one of the store's loyal customers. And after twenty minutes of feigning interest in hemp jewelry, Bonnie was given general directors to her mother's current neighborhood.

Damon cast his celestial blue eyes on Bonnie and noted how wide her own eyes were as she stared out the windshield taking everything in. She was nervous; he could smell it on her.

"It's not too late to go back," he said.

"I can't. I've come too far. Besides, she owes me an explanation."

"Damn straight she does," Damon said with a tone of finality. There was no backing out now.

There were several families entertaining on their massive yards, but there was one particular person who caught Bonnie's attention and held it.

She gasped. It was her. Her mother was standing in the front yard of a two story house observing a girl who looked no older than thirteen, fifteen at the most while she executed somersaults. Abby Bennett didn't look much older than the last photograph that was taken of her with Bonnie. Her hair was still long and wavy, and midnight black. Her skin was still the unblemished café au lait, and her smile, Bonnie saw her smile on her mother's face.

Damon stomped on the brakes and then parallel parked the Camaro. He saw the woman Bonnie was gawking at and it was no mistake, they had finally found Abby Bennett.

Instead of hopping out of the car, Bonnie just sat there.

Damon gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think I can do this," she said on the verge of tears. It hurt to see her mother had moved on and apparently started another family without ever contacting her. To be treated as if you were dead or simply fell out of existence by her own mother made her feel sick inside.

"Just do one thing for me, Bonnie," Damon peered into her eyes. "Get mad."

At first she was confused by his suggestion but then it slowly started to make sense. She was always at her most fearless when she was mad.

Needing no further prompting, Bonnie climbed out of the car and began to head across the street. It had been previously discussed that Damon would wait for her in the car, but he would be listening in on their conversation. All he needed was an open window to hear their conversation word for word. And luckily for him, a front window of the house was thrown open.

He sat behind the wheel watching Bonnie as she walked determinedly towards her mom's humble abode.

"And heads will roll," he said and chuckled. His cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Retrieving it and seeing who it was Damon deliberately ignored the call.

"Not now, Stefan."

He almost missed the moment of truth when Bonnie stood on the other side of the fenced in yard.

"Are you Abby?" he heard Bonnie ask.

The woman immediately looked apprehensive. "Yes."

"Good. Because I'm your daughter. It's me, mom. It's Bonnie."

Chapter end.

**A/N: Just to avoid any confusion, I wrote this long before we actually learned Abby's true reason for leaving Mystic Falls, and I won't be following the shows take on her and Bonnie's reunion, which naturally, to me at least, fell flat and left me scratching my head. Next chapter will be featuring more Bamon—just a fair warning. Other than that, thanks for reading and for the feedback. Love you guys!**


	29. Last Friday Night

**A/N: This has quite a bit of Bamon. Just a fair warning.**

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended. **

_I've walked through fire without flinching. I've brought grown men down to their knees. I've vanquished demons; set things to rights; could see visions which can alter the entire dynamic of my world. The Mayan calendar predicts that the world would end in 2012—well I wasn't sure about that—but I was sure that I could melt down the walls that conceal motives and reveal secret and lies from someone who wanted to hide. I'm about to meet my mother. May I have mercy on her soul._

_-Bonnie_

Bonnie stood on the other side of the white picket fence staring at the woman she knew as Abby Bennett. A woman she hadn't seen in fifteen years. Bonnie could see much of her own features on her mother's shocked face, but it wasn't the physical similarities between them Bonnie was interested in. She wanted answers and felt it was long overdue for some.

"Mom?" the young girl asked as she looked between her mother and the young woman standing on the sidewalk proclaiming to be her sister. Was this some practical joke?

Abby Montclair never thought this day would come. Being reunited with her estranged daughter—although that wasn't the right term to use since she walked out of Bonnie's life way before she became cognizant of what was happening. Leaving her past but more importantly her child behind was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. So it was safe to say she was feeling a little overwhelmed and light-headed. Her past, the past the people in her present knew nothing about had finally caught up with her. Immediately she was apprehensive.

Abby cleared the frog out of her throat and brought her obsidian eyes to her youngest daughter.

"Bianca, go in the house and get washed up for dinner."

However, Bianca had other plans than being obedient. "Mom, what's going on? Why did she say she's your daughter? Do you know her?"

Bonnie briefly brought her attention to the girl. She shared Bonnie's complexion and long wavy hair, but her face was young and her eyes were more hazel than green. She had a sister, but Bonnie was finding it a little difficult to rejoice in that obvious fact. Her beef was with Abby and no one else.

"Bianca go!" Abby ordered authoritatively. "Your father will be home shortly."

Bianca hesitated for a second before disappearing inside the house slowly closing the front door behind her.

Bonnie took that as her signal to push open the gate and stroll on the property. She did.

When the two women were only separated by two feet of space, Abby wasn't sure if it would be all right to lean in and give Bonnie a hug. From the glare dancing in her eldest child's eyes, she figured she better keep her hands to herself.

So instead of saying, "Hi, honey I missed you," Abby said, "How did you find me?"

Bonnie snorted. Of course that's the first thing she'd want to establish. "It wasn't easy," Bonnie replied vaguely, her eyes looking around the manicured lawn and the American Gothic house.

"I-I'm at a lost for words," Abby tried to smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes, and her eyes were beginning to line with tears. "You look so much like your grandmother."

Bonnie turned her head sharply to look at her mother. "Sheila Bennett?"

Abby nodded her head, her face becoming pinched because she was trying to hold her tears in, but a few escaped and rolled down her cheeks.

"How is she?" Abby sniffled.

"She's dead," Bonnie answered flatly.

"Oh," Abby gasped and wondered if saying she was sorry would be appropriate. She played it safe and said nothing.

"Look I rather not do this outside. Can we go in?" Bonnie asked.

Abby felt conflicted about that. Her husband was due home at any moment and though they entertained friends from time-to-time they never really had company. For years she had lied to him about her past hoping he wouldn't get too curious to dig into it himself. He was a private investigator for a prominent law firm, so to have to explain Bonnie's sudden appearance…she rather skirt around that for as long as she could.

Yet she was a southern bred woman and the least she could do was offer the child she abandoned a glass of iced tea.

"Sure," Abby said and turned around heading for the door. Bonnie followed yet before she retreated inside she looked across the street to Damon and inclined her head. He waved his fingers at her.

The inside of the Montclair house was like any house in the south, decorated with modern and country furniture, figurines cluttered coffee and end tables. However it was the wall of photos that caught and held Bonnie's attention.

It seemed that Bianca's entire existence had been chronicled from the delivery room up until the most recent pictures of her at a gymnastics competition. Instant jealously wanted to stab Bonnie because Bianca lucked out and was able to grow up in a stable two-parent household while Bonnie had to do everything outside of burn her house down to get her Dad to remember she was still alive. But it wasn't Bianca's fault—rationally Bonnie knew that, but still it touched something deep on the inside of her that she wasn't as fortunate.

Abby led them to the kitchen and waved her hand towards the table. Bonnie took a seat.

"Can I get you something to drink or eat?"

"I'm not hungry or thirsty."

"All right." Running out of options, Abby took a deep breath and joined Bonnie at the table. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions about where I've been…why I never came to see you or tried to contact you."

"You're right I do. Do you know the hell I've been living since you left?"

Abby began to pick her fingernails. "I can imagine," she said softly. "How's your father…is he…?"

"You think me showing up is because everyone I ever loved is dead? No, Thomas is alive and kicking but he might as well be because he's hardly ever around."

Abby want to bristle under Bonnie's harshly spoken words. She never wanted this. She never wanted her child to hate her or think that her mother hated her. It wasn't true, but Abby suspected convincing Bonnie of that would be next to impossible.

"Bonnie…I never wanted to leave you."

"So why did you?"

Abby looked desperately at Bonnie for her to understand. "I had a choice to make and I left because I thought it would be in your best interest if I wasn't around. I'm sure your father hasn't told you about how we met."

"I know nothing about how you guys got together. Whenever I used to ask him about you, he'd get an attitude with me and accuse me of being nosy and childish. I was a child," she said incredulously, "who just wanted to know where her mother was. Your leaving destroyed him. He's never recovered from it."

Inwardly Abby could do no more than cringe. "I…," she cleared her throat. "You deserve to know the truth, Bonnie. So…I'm going to tell it."

Bonnie made a motion with her shoulders to say she was listening and waiting.

"When I met your father I had basically hit rock bottom. I got kicked out of UVA and Sheila took me in. She said there was something about me that reminded her of her. I just thought she was being a sweet old lady. But…she gave me the first home I recall having.

"That's when I met your dad. He was home from school one weekend and we started hanging out. He was a bit dorky for me, but he was a much better influence for my life. So Sheila kind of got it into her head that we would be perfect for each other.

"Naturally I rebelled. I moved out, got my own place. I met up with some old friends and we got this bright idea to drive to Chicago," Abby smiled in memory. Right now her fingers were itching to hold a cigarette but she quit smoking when she became pregnant with Bianca and never picked the habit back up.

"We were at this club and there was this guy who wanted us to have a bottle of champagne with him. So we did. He was beautiful, probably the most handsome man I've ever seen. He and I started talking and he said there was something about me that called to him. He asked me where I was from and when I told him I was from Mystic Falls, that's when he got _really _interested.

"He asked me a thousand questions, and most of them I couldn't answer. But the most bizarre question he asked me is if I was a witch."

Bonnie's eyebrows flew into her hairline. "What did you say?"

Abby chuckled. "I laughed. I told him I'm the farthest thing from being a witch, and that I don't believe in that stuff. But your grandmother told me she traced my family history and said my great-grandmother was a descendent of this supposed family of witches. I really think she was smoking stuff back then. And I found it all a little too freaky that he would ask me about witches and then coupled with your grandmother telling me I'm a descendent of a witch. It goes without saying, I kept my distance from the guy while I lived in Chicago.

"Eventually I returned to Virginia and slowly my life started to fall apart again. I went to Sheila for help and I thought she would give me a hard time because I left so abruptly, but she didn't. She said she knew I'd be back one day. And again, your dad was there.

"Bonnie…I loved Thomas, but I wasn't in love with him. He was easy to talk to and get along with, but there was never any passion between us. And with your grandmother dropping not-so-subtle hints, when Thomas asked me to marry him, I said yes."

"So it was more of an arranged marriage?"

Abby nodded her head, her eyes full of shame. "Sheila had done so much for me, much more than my own biological mother I figured it was the least I could do, and I know that sounds horrible, but my options back then were severely limited. But I don't regret having you, Bonnie. I need you to know that. You were the best thing to happen to me. But my leaving was to keep you safe because…

"On my honeymoon I ran into the guy from Chicago. And from there no matter where I went, he somehow knew how to find me, and one day he told me that he sensed my offspring would be powerful in ways that would be hard to explain. You don't know how scared I was of this guy. I told him he could go to hell and that he was delusional, but then he showed me what he was."

"He was a vampire," Bonnie's tone was ominous.

Abby looked surprised Bonnie would hit the nail on the head on the first try. "Yeah."

"Let me guess…his name is Klaus?"

Abby leisurely rose from the table looking befuddled. "How do you know this? I've never told anyone, not even your grandmother—and yeah I heard the rumors about her when I moved to Mystic Falls, and I never bought into any of it."

"Well it seems your abandoning me was in vain because he found me and my friends anyway."

Abby eyes blinked rapidly as if trying to clear up the confusion. "I don't understand. I thought I was crazy seeing this guy's eyes change and those fangs, and seeing him kill this innocent person in front of me. That was the last straw because I figured if he's really what he said he was, and he was after my baby I couldn't lead him to you. So I left because I thought it was the right thing to do. Shit!"

Bonnie, too, got up from the table. "Shit is right, Abby. So for all that time you never tried to contact me or come see me? Were you living in that much fear?" Bonnie didn't buy into Abby's claim, not entirely at least.

"I did," Abby beseeched. "I would call your dad and beg him to put you on the phone, but he would say Bonnie doesn't have a mom and that I should just stop and give you up for good."

Bonnie felt her eyes misting. "He-he kept you from me?"

Abby nodded her head and reached for a paper towel to dab her eyes. "For five years I tried to talk to you, and once I did show up but Thomas claimed you were out of town. When I realized how much I hurt him by leaving…I knew I couldn't face you again because I had been away for so long. And yeah it was incredibly selfish what I did, but honestly I thought I was protecting you." Pause. "But Klaus found you," but she didn't say it in question form, or a statement of fact, but like it was part of a plan that was supposed to happen.

Bonnie felt her spidey senses tingling. So she played a hunch. "Was that the last time you saw him…after he killed that person?"

Abby hesitated before nodding her head. "He fell off the radar."

_Yeah right _Bonnie thought and dried her eyes with the back of her hand. Keep digging. "So did he ever ask you to perform a spell?"

"Once. I didn't pass the test."

Abby unthinkingly reached for Bonnie's hand, she flinched from the unexpected contact. "So it's true then…witches exist. Does that mean you're a…?"

Her senses told her not to reveal anything about herself. She didn't know this woman to trust her with that kind of information. "No."

Her mother looked overly relieved. "I didn't want to leave you, Bonnie."

"Yeah, but you did. And for someone who's just been reunited with her estranged daughter you're taking this remarkably well. What else do you know about me, about Klaus, about my grandmother?"

"Well," Abby strolled over to the stove and stuffed her hands in a pair of oven mittens, "when you prepare yourself for the worst getting hysterical won't do you a lick of good." Abby extracted a pot roast and sat it on top of the stove.

"I've moved half a dozen times and no matter how many cities and states I lived in…I was never content with my decision. It wasn't until I came here and I let my guard down, met a wonderful man…"

Bonnie felt her temper escalate.

"And now you have a new family while the one you left has to battle everyday just to survive. Do you know I was kidnapped by a psycho, or that I had to watch Grams die, or do you know how many times I've had to save my friends lives? You don't know about any of that because you weren't around!"

"Bonnie…" Abby tried.

"I've had to make decisions that no eighteen year old girl should ever have to make, and yeah I didn't always make the right call, but not once did I _ever _run when things got too difficult, or scary, or out of control. I _faced_ it. I've had to shoulder all of this by myself because my _mother _was simply too worried about her own ass."

"That's not true. Bonnie, I thought I could spare you from this…"

The jingle of keys caught their attention, halting the conversation. The front door opened, and in strolled the man of the house.

"Abby, BeBe I'm home."

Abby tensed and slipped the mittens off. She combed her fingers through her hair and wiped any lingering tears off her face.

Not a minute later a tall man with sienna brown skin, salt and pepper hair, and dashing good looks entered the kitchen but stopped short when he spotted Bonnie.

"Hi," he said tentatively and then looked over to his wife with a lifted brow.

"Hey, baby," Abby said and went over to her husband and kissed him. "Daniel this is…"

"Bonnie Bennett," she flicked her eyes at Abby who was subtly shaking her head. "You have a nice house."

"Thanks," Daniel drew out the word. "Are you a friend of Bianca's?"

"No. I was just passing through and wanted to see Abby before getting on the road again."

"Not to sound rude, but how do you know my wife? Are you new to the area?"

Didn't she just say she was getting back on the road which implied she didn't live in the area? Instead of rolling her eyes, Bonnie merely looked at him.

Bianca entered the kitchen and went over to her father. He wrapped his other arm around her. The Montclair's made the perfect tableau and Bonnie couldn't feel more like an outsider and that she was intruding on their picture perfect life.

"I'm not new to the area, but Abby and I go way back. All the way back to my birth actually."

Abby took a step forward and clasped Bonnie by the arm. Daniel and Bianca shared the same puzzled expression except Bianca looked as if she were barely containing the questions she wanted to spew out.

"Babe, go get washed up and I'm going to see Bonnie out."

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Daniel asked. Bonnie was sure he was only doing it to be polite.

"Bonnie has to get back on the road," Abby raised her voice. "She and I are all caught up."

"Mom…" Bianca tried to intervene.

Bonnie never had a sibling before and never imagined herself as a big sister. But there was something in that moment that made her want to take Bianca aside and give her some words of wisdom like: don't trust anyone or anything but your instincts.

"It's okay," Bonnie said. "I do have to go."

No other words were said as Abby led Bonnie back outside.

"Now that I know where you live…are you going to move again?" Bonnie asked.

Abby bit a corner of her lip, the same way Bonnie did when she was considering something. "I know you didn't find me to ruin my life, but Daniel doesn't know, and Bianca…I've wanted to tell her she has a big sister for so long. Keeping you two apart has been hard; and I can't help but feel guilt every time I look at her and see your face."

"And all of this could have been avoided if you had just been honest. But you chose to leave one family only to start another one. And something tells me you still see Klaus or have dealings with him in some way, form, or fashion because he said he knew where you were and he wasn't talking in past tense. I will find out your real connection with him."

Abby faced her daughter and braced her hands on Bonnie's shoulders. "Bonnie, just please promise me that you'll stay as faraway from him and his kind. They are the enemy."

Really? How would she really know that?

"Here's one lesson I learned the hard way. You can't blame an entire species or race because of the bad deeds of a few." Bonnie eyed her mother and stepped away until Abby's hands fell off her shoulders.

"Good bye, Abby," Bonnie said. "I'll be in touch."

Abby watched her daughter walk away. Watched until she saw who Bonnie was heading towards. Her eyes widened in alarm and before she could stop herself, Abby was rushing across the street. From her dealings with Klaus, Abby trained herself to spot a vampire.

"Bonnie! Don't leave with him!"

Damon had gotten out of the car and was in the middle of opening up the passenger side door for Bonnie when he stared at Abby like she lost her mind.

"He's my friend," Bonnie said simply.

Abby felt torn. She knew what the man was and couldn't figure out why Bonnie would be around him willingly.

Bonnie got into the car. Damon closed the door and rounded to the driver's side.

"You hurt my daughter in anyway…" she began, and made the mistake of grabbing Damon's arm.

Damon spun around and faced her, his face cold. "Back up off me woman. You lost the right to threaten anyone in Bonnie's life the minute you walked out of hers. Have a lovely evening," he said sarcastically and climbed behind the wheel.

They left Abby Montclair standing in the middle of the street in a cloud of dust.

Damon brought his attention to Bonnie. "You okay?"

She nodded her head.

"What do you want to do now?"

Without out looking at him, she said, "Get drunk."

* * *

**Two hours earlier…**

Stefan growled and pressed the END button on his iPhone harder than he should have when his call was routed to Damon's voice mail. Damon was not home when Stefan got in from running errands and typically he wouldn't have cared except Bonnie hadn't been in school, and she wasn't picking up her phone either. Prom was tonight and Stefan had no intentions of going, but he figured Bonnie wouldn't miss prom for anything in the world—despite the fact they were—

What they were was a mess and it was no thanks to him.

The first day he got back from his little vacation and he saw her sitting alone in the quad he wanted to go up to her, but he didn't think it was the right time or place. There was a lot they'd have to talk about, if Bonnie would talk to him at all, so he kept his distance.

Distance is what he thought he needed but now Stefan was second guessing his decision to leave in the first place.

After hearing Tyler say he had a thing for Bonnie, and would volunteer himself up for stud services, Stefan knew Tyler was being a dick and was only trying to goad him. Well it worked. Perhaps more than even he himself had anticipated. The thought of Tyler hooking up with Elena only bothered him a tenth of a fraction than the thought of seeing Bonnie on the hybrid's arm. Just thinking of her being with anyone else nearly had Stefan seeing red.

These were of course good signs.

Someone was pulling up into the driveway, yet from the sound of the engine, Stefan was not expecting to see his brother or Bonnie waltz through the door.

It was Caroline who entered the premises. Her blond wavy locks bounced with her determined stride.

"What is wrong with you?" Caroline began without preamble.

Stefan looked at her as if to say "what did I do?"

"Hello to you, too, Caroline," he snorted.

The blonde vampire rolled her eyes. "You have a lot of nerve leaving and then showing up and not saying a word to Bonnie at all."

"If you came over here to lecture me," Stefan pointed at a spot over her shoulder. "There's the door. I don't want to hear it."

"Well that's too bad. Elena only gives someone a piece of her mind when she's truly irritated because, sorry, as much as I love her, she lives in a world of denial. Even if she does see it, it didn't happen. Bonnie on the other hand is a straightforward broad who will tell you about yourself to your face. Feelings be damned. And here you are leaving the both of them in some strange limbo because you're too chicken shit to make a decision. So I think you need a little illustration."

Caroline super-sped over to the bar, picked up a bottle of Damon's favorite alcohol, flashed back over to the fireplace and poured a liberal amount of whiskey on the logs. Then she picked up a matchbox and lit a match. She held the burning flame out to Stefan.

"This is your love for Elena."

Caroline tossed the match on the alcohol soaked logs. There was an instant inferno.

She pointed towards the fire. "And that's your love for Bonnie. See the difference? Now what are you going to do to fix this because prom is tonight. And I refused to be surrounded by awkwardness."

Stefan could definitely give Caroline props for being creative. He never would have imagined his relationships with Elena and Bonnie in quite that manner, but it struck a cord with him.

"I wish I could tell you."

Caroline looked like she was ready to throttle him. "That's all you have to say? You know, I kind of miss Ripper Stefan because he said exactly what was on his mind no matter how outrageous it was."

Stefan chuckled sardonically. "Well at the present moment I can't find your best friend."

Caroline quirked an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest. "What do you mean you can't find her? Have you tried calling her? Did you go over to her house?"

He did all of those things and came up empty. But Caroline was Bonnie's biggest confidante and the closest thing to a sister, if anyone could tell him where she was, Caroline was it.

Sauntering over to the bar, Stefan poured himself a drink. "Give it up, Caroline. Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"Don't lie to me. Just tell me where she is," Stefan's tone was sharp and demanding.

Caroline crossed the room to stand on the other side of the bar. She placed her palms flat on the surface.

"If Bonnie wanted to be found she would have told me where she was going. But she didn't because obviously she doesn't want to be bothered and she knows I can't hold water."

Taking a sip of whiskey and pulling his lips back from his teeth as the acrid liquid ran down his throat, Stefan glowered at Caroline. She swallowed nervously.

"She's with Damon," he finally said. "I know she is."

Caroline sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "You don't know that. Where's your proof?"

"The proof is in the fact that she would apparently leave town at the same time Damon decides to get missing. I haven't seen him since Thursday morning. Why would she leave? Especially the weekend of prom?"

"Ah, duh because her boyfriend is being a total jerk loser," Caroline replied. "You left," she reminded him unhelpfully. "And even if she is with Damon which is a big IF, Bonnie would never do anything with him."

Stefan made his "I smell shit face". "Why not?"

Caroline balked. "Are you seriously asking me that? Because she loves you, that's why! Listen to me, Stefan…the longer you take to go see her the farther away you're pushing her. She feels rejected and believe, Bonnie will take herself out of the equation so fast it'll make this entire mansion spin. And then what are you going to do? Go back to being Elena's purse holder? Sucks for you, dude."

He didn't want to but he kind of chuckled at her reference to him holding Elena's purse. Really? Was he _that _emasculated when they were together?

"So what am I supposed to do? What if I find she is with Damon?"

"Then you deal with it, but Bonnie isn't the kind of gal who would do a complete one-eighty and profess her undying love for you one minute and then hop in the bed with your brother the next minute. She's not Katherine, she's not Elena. And as soon as you _and _Damon realize that the better off everything will be. Sheesh!" Caroline said and began heading towards the door.

"What would this town do if I weren't around?" she exclaimed and slammed the door shut behind her.

* * *

Observing Damon as he danced in the middle of three plus sized women took Bonnie back to the 60's dance and he was doing those ridiculous moves with the fake Supremes. It was her first time not viewing Damon as the scum of the earth and just as a guy who tried to be the life of the party even when they were about to face certain death. Since then they had been through the ringer, through so many ups and downs it was a miracle they were all still standing.

Bonnie could watch him warmly and not want to change a single thing about him. Hmm, she wondered when she stumbled into Elena territory who unfailingly forgave Damon of any and all infractions—even snapping her brother's neck.

The DJ started to spin one of Bonnie's favorite song's "Who's That Chick". With the dance floor calling her, Bonnie glided on to the floor. She wasn't as drunk as she'd like to be. She could attribute that to the fact her higher than normal body temperature burned away the alcohol before she could get a satisfying buzz going. Oh, she was a little faded, every time she moved it felt like the world was tilting with her. Yet Damon had already drunk her under the table by consuming two whole bottles of whiskey. And he was just getting started.

Bonnie wanted to catch up.

A stranger's hands wove themselves across her waist pulling her flush against a body that felt familiar and foreign at the same time. Bonnie kept her eyes closed because she didn't want to ruin the fantasy. In her mind she pictured it was Stefan dancing behind her, grinding his pelvis against her plump backside. The smell of the man was all wrong and kept butting into her fantasy, deconstructing it, so Bonnie danced a little harder until sweat began to pepper across her hairline.

In her mind it was Stefan's large hands holding her securely and a bit possessively. She ran her hand over his hand, tracing his day walking ring with her fingers.

"Whoo, girl you about to make me cum," the heavy southern voice said.

Fantasy shattered, Bonnie stopped moving and pealed the guy's hands from around her waist. She didn't even turn around to acknowledge his existence, just marched back over to the bar and ordered another shot of Patron.

The burn of it going down she hoped would move upward and burn away the afternoon she spent interrogating her mother. It was not the running mascara, snot-nosed reunion you saw on talk shows or evening news broadcasts. They did not make heartfelt promises to remain in contact. Bonnie was not introduced as being Abby Montclair's daughter. She was not welcomed into her mother's new life with proclamations that now that they've found each other they wouldn't let one another go.

Bonnie may have been only eighteen years old, but she was certain of one thing—when your gut tells you there's more to the story there usually is.

Slamming back another shot, Bonnie opened her eyes. They were out of focus for a second while she looked around the club.

It was more like a converted community center than an actual club. There were strobe lights that made Bonnie feel like she was a prisoner in a jelly bean jar, and she couldn't really tell if there was a fog machine or if the heavy blanket of smoke that wafted through the place was from those smoking cigarettes. None of it really mattered. The drinks weren't watered down and so far no one had gotten out of line and tried to start a fight.

Just then Bonnie had the sudden urge to call Caroline. Tonight was prom and she at least wanted to speak with her life line. And Bonnie had no idea who was her date. Caroline never reconciled with Tyler; there was of course Matt, and Dana's cousin from out-of-state, yet Bonnie had no idea who Caroline would go with.

So Bonnie staggered her way over to Damon who was taking a breather from dancing and was chatting with a wig-wearing red head.

"Excuse me," Bonnie's words kind of slurred. "I need to use your phone," she didn't wait for him to dig it out of his back pocket, she dug for it herself.

The red head sucked her teeth; however, she made no move to leave. Damon merely grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

Phone in hand, Bonnie stumbled over to a corner and tried to remember all ten digits of Caroline's cell phone number.

"Why do the numbers keep moving?" she grunted. It was taking far too much motor control for her to get her fingers to land on the appropriate keys. A full torturous minute later, Bonnie held the phone up to her ear.

"What do you want, bitch?"

Bonnie plugged her finger into her free ear so she could better hear Caroline over the streaming bass of the music.

"Caroline? Caroline it's Bonnie."

"BONNIE! Oh, my God where are you? Why are you calling me from Damon's phone? Don't you have ANY idea what tonight is? I'm already freaking out because my date is stuck in traffic on 95, and if he doesn't get here in the next five minutes we're going to lose our dinner reservation. Is that Rihanna playing in the background? Are you at prom with Damon? Stefan is gonna freak!"

"Caroline!" Bonnie shouted to cut her rambling off. "I'm not at prom."

"Are you at the boardinghouse having a house party without inviting me? I thought we were close."

Bonnie could see Caroline's pout over the phone.

"I'm not in town," Bonnie went on to say. "I was just calling to check up on things and ask who you're going to prom with."

"Oh, my gosh you're out of town with Damon?"

Bonnie looked up to the ceiling and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Care, stay on track please. I didn't call to talk about me, but about you. Now who's your date?"

"Do you remember Dana's cousin Sean? He's my date if he can ever get here. Oh, wait someone just pulled up."

Caroline squealed and Bonnie had to hold the phone away from her ear.

"He's here! Bon, you really picked the worst weekend to be out of town," Caroline admonished. "Hi, Sean. When are you coming back?"

"I'll be back tomorrow. Have a good time and don't tell anyone, and I do mean _anyone_ that you talked to me."

"But answer me this…are you with Damon?"

Bonnie looked back over to Damon who was surrounded by females—a mix of twentysomething year olds, to middle aged women, and a few cougars mixed into the bunch.

"Kind of," Bonnie answered vaguely.

"What do you mean kind of?" Caroline asked sharply. "Either you are or your aren't. Earlier today I had to berate Stefan because he thought you ran off with Damon."

"Look," Bonnie tried to find the right words to say. "There was something I needed to do and I had Damon tag along. That's it," Bonnie sighed. "Have fun tonight, Care."

"How can I have fun when my two best friends aren't going to be with me?"

"Elena's not going?"

"I haven't really talked to her so I don't know."

"Well don't let that stop you from having a good time."

"Pfft," was Caroline's response. "That goes without saying. Bon, please be careful. Damon has exercised exceptional behavior lately but he's still a pussy magnet."

Bonnie could only shake her head. Caroline had no idea how right she was in that regard. "You know I do everything with caution."

"Uh-hun. Well let me run. Love you."

"Love you, too."

"Oh, and call me the _minute _you get back to Mystic Falls."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ugh, I know I'll probably live longer than you but I'll never be old enough to be a ma'am."

Bonnie couldn't help it, she smiled.

"Stop keeping Sean waiting and go have fun. All right?"

"All right. Call me!"

Disconnecting the call, at that moment Bonnie wished she were back in Mystic Falls bubbling with excitement over attending her senior prom. Instead, she was in a hole-in-the-wall club in West Ashley, South Carolina with Damon Salvatore of all people.

She needed another drink.

* * *

It was probably close to two in the morning when Damon pulled up to the beach front property on the Isle of Palms where they were staying. Bonnie couldn't stop laughing, smiling, or singing. She was done, toasted, ready to float all the way to the moon. Her problems completely left behind in the shot glass that had been her silent companion all night, she felt liberated and a bit tired.

Damon assisted her out of the car while she giggled and sang off-key.

Now would be a wonderful time to take advantage of her, but Damon understood she was in a lot of pain and had taken a page out of his book by medicating the fucked up problems in her life with alcohol. Hey, it was a practice he wholeheartedly supported and dabbled in, but it wasn't how he wanted Bonnie to tackle the unresolved issues in her life.

Damon had to shake his head as he unlocked the door. When had he turned into Dr. Phil? And when wasn't he all for the destruction of youth?

Apparently the do-gooderness of certain people in Mystic Falls rubbed off on him.

Damon would need to schedule a microdermabrasion ASAP.

Flipping on the lights, he watched as Bonnie stumbled towards her part of the house.

"You all right, Witchy?" Damon questioned and then threw his car keys on the coffee table.

Bonnie bobbed her head and then shuffled to her room. She opted for staying on the main level and was glad because she wasn't sure she could navigate her way up a flight of stairs at the present moment.

Once in the room, Bonnie turned on the lights. The bright light burned her eyes and she winced. Sighing she reached behind her attempting to unzip her dress.

Her feet were pounding. Stilettos, no matter how cute or sexy they were, were no friends to a woman's feet. Whoever invented the fuck me pump should be equally kissed and shot.

"The zipper must have moved," Bonnie grunted. Her arms were growing tired and felt like wet noodles every time she attempted to reach for it. She wanted out of the beaded mini dress so she could fall face down on the bed and sleep the booze away.

"D, I need help!" Bonnie whined.

It took him no time at all to show up outside of her bedroom door. Bonnie turned to the side to face him. Damon must have been in the process of getting ready for bed because his button down was open revealing the rippling muscles of his torso. There was a mischievous glint in his glacial eyes.

"You need help with what?"

Bonnie gave him her back and pointed to her zipper. "I can't get my arms to cooperate. A little help please."

Damon pushed away from the wall. He reached for the zipper, slowly pulling it down until it couldn't go anymore. The strap to her black bra was exposed, so where the dimples in her lower back. Unexpectedly, he brushed Bonnie's hair to the left side of her neck and removed the necklace.

"Thank you," Bonnie nearly whispered. He was standing so close the chill of his body beat against the warmth of hers.

"You're welcome. Is there anything else you need me to do?"

His voice was so inviting, Bonnie bit her lower lip and shook her head. She felt the walls holding up her virtue about to crumble.

"Bonnie I gotta be honest with you about something."

"What?"

"You've been on my mind… a lot. Ever since you told me you got accepted into Duke, I've been thinking non-stop of ways to get you to stay."

"Damon…please…please don't make this awkward."

"If you're going to leave me, give me something to remember you by."

"You have my friendship. That isn't going anywhere."

"I'm sorry but that's not good enough."

Hmm, he'd always been a greedy bastard.

"I can't give you anything else."

"Then let me give you something."

She didn't jump when he placed his chin on her shoulder, nor when he wrapped an arm around her middle.

"There's been something I've wanted to do for a while," he spoke right into her ear.

Bonnie felt heat zap through her. It had been close to a month since the last time she was intimate with Stefan, and since her body was so used to being pleasured, it was screaming for a release. But not with Damon. She couldn't do this.

But Damon had been so amazing and supportive…

She was too scared to ask for what he sensed her body was craving, so Damon placed a deep kiss to her neck, while his hands pulled the hem to her dress up until her underwear was exposed.

Bonnie grabbed his hands to stop him, but he was stronger and broke her hold and then cupped her through her panties.

She bit clean through her lip.

"Damon, we can't do this."

"I just want to kiss you. Just one kiss."

Bonnie's eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head. She felt herself being turned in his arms until she faced him.

She looked into his eyes and saw just how much she meant to him in those blue orbs. She liked him, more than she did in the past, but she wasn't in love with Damon.

Well if he was going to kiss her, he was taking an awfully long time to do so. She stared up at him expectantly.

He grinned. "I wasn't talking about the lips on your face."

Her eyes ballooned.

For every step forward he took, she took one step back until her legs bumped into the bed. This brought back a startling memory, but her mind was so clouded and consumed with alcohol and lust she just couldn't find the balls to push him away, to make him stop.

And maybe deep, deep, deep down she wanted this, too.

It was all over when she fell back on the bed, and Damon climbed on top of her, pulling her panties down in the process.

She looked up at the ceiling, arched her back the second his tongue cut clean down her core. She grabbed tuffs of his ink black hair, and resisted screaming out his name.

She was going to detonate and they hadn't even gotten to the good stuff.

With each swirl of his clever tongue, a small part of her died and was reborn only to be killed off again.

Her breaths came out in stucco pants. "I-I-I" she stuttered and gave up talking altogether.

With her legs thrown over his shoulders, Bonnie was at his complete and total mercy, and he wasn't being merciful towards her as Damon slew her with his tongue.

He held her tightly around the waist so she wouldn't retreat. He gazed up at Bonnie with her head thrown back in ecstasy as she ground her hips against his mouth.

The lights flickered and a howling wind rattled the windows the minute she came.

"AHHHHHH!"

Bonnie's eyes flew open. Her hand shot out and something clattered to the ground. She blinked her eyes several times until her vision cleared. Nothing about the room she was in seemed familiar, and when she finally looked down at herself, she was fully clothed in the dress she wore to the club last night. And there wasn't a head buried between her legs. Instead of a body being curled up beside her there was an empty bottle of champagne.

How much did I drink last night? She wondered.

She reached between her legs—panties were still on. Confused, Bonnie dug a hand through her hair. So…last night with Damon _never _happened?

"It was a dream," she said and felt a ton of relief slam into her. Bonnie threw her legs over the bed, her head swam so it took a moment before she finally got to her feet and she walked to the bathroom.

She eyed her reflection and blindly turned on the sink faucet. Why in the world would she have a sex dream about Damon? It was _Damon_. She didn't need to deal with this crap right now especially learning the truth about her mother and her unresolved relationship issues with Stefan. That was enough.

Aside from feeling relief, guilt rang her doorbell and she gladly ushered it inside. Come on down you are the next contestant in making Bonnie felt like a backstabbing unfaithful bitch.

She washed her face, brushed her teeth because her mouth felt like it was full of cotton, and attempted to do something with her hair. It looked like a bird's nest.

Bonnie didn't want to leave the sanctuary of the bedroom, but her stomach was growling and she was in desperate need of water. So tentatively she left the room and padded towards the kitchen. The rest of the house was silent, but she faltered when she saw Damon rummaging around the kitchen dressed in nothing more than a pair of board shorts.

He filled a glass with water and retrieved a bottle of aspirin. He sat both down on the kitchen counter.

"That's your breakfast," he said in lieu of saying good morning.

Despite the fact she was fully dressed, Bonnie felt naked for some odd reason. She approached and took a seat on one of the kitchen stools. It was a little difficult to make eye contact with him. She felt embarrassed.

"I was afraid I'd have to call alcoholics anonymous for you," Damon smirked and took a sip of coffee.

"What?"

He stared at her strangely for a moment. "You got the party started way before we went out. But you look like death warmed over, Witchy. You all right? Especially after learning about your dead beat mom's connection to Klaus?"

She wasn't sure and felt like bursting out into tears. "I'll be fine."

It was her standard response to everything. Damon eyed her for a second and then finished the rest of his coffee. He headed for the double sliding doors which led to a patio and from the patio you could walk down to the beach.

"I'm going to enjoy the ocean before it's time to go. I'd invite you to join me but I'm not in the mood to play Baywatch in the event you drown because of your hangover."

He was back to his charming self.

Not long after Damon left, someone emerged from his bedroom.

Bonnie blinked at the woman who was trying to make a classy escape.

"Oh, hey," the woman said and brushed her sable hair off her face. "You're not Damon's girlfriend are you because if you are…wow awkward."

Bonnie shook her head. "No, he and I are just friends."

The woman looked relieved. Bonnie went over to the fridge. "Would you like some water before you go?"

"Oh, yeah. My head is pounding."

Bonnie filled a glass and handed it over to the girl. They drank together, smiled at one another.

"Thanks," the woman said and dumped the glass in the sink. "Damon is really amazing. He said he's from Virginia? That's too bad because he knows how to party. Well, let me go. It was nice meeting you."

"Same here," Bonnie agreed. She watched as the woman strolled out of the house and then it dawned on Bonnie that they hadn't exchanged names. Oh well.

Damon had spent the night with someone else which meant she didn't do something dumb that could have caused irreversible damage to her relationship with Stefan. Little by little Bonnie began to feel better, yet she still felt off kilter. Didn't someone say that fantasizes or sex dreams were due to deep subconscious yearnings?

The sliding patio door caught her attention. Damon was running a towel through his hair as he walked into the living room.

"Your cuddle buddy just left," Bonnie told him.

"Good."

"Did you compel her?"

Damon made a vague motion with his shoulders. "Not all of my sexual encounters end with me drinking blood. Besides she was too drunk to do anything outside of throw up on me and pass out. So between the two of us I think you had the better night."

Bonnie giggled and began heading towards her room to pack. "I doubt that."

* * *

Six hours later Damon killed the engine to his car once pulling up in front of Bonnie's house. She had said very little on the whole drive. He could tell she was fighting sleep; she never let her eyes stay closed for longer than five minutes. Something was bothering her, he knew it. He might have been inclined to ask her to spit it out and stop pussyfooting around, but it would have been pointless. Bonnie only confided what was bothering her when she felt like it.

She was the type of person who internalized everything until it was too late. More than likely whatever her deal was it involved two very specific people—Abby Montclair and Stefan Salvatore.

Damon had resigned himself to the fact he was stuck in the friend zone. Maybe a little while ago that may have bothered him, but now he could see that's exactly where he needed to be.

It took a moment for Bonnie to realize they were parked outside of her house. She was tired but was too afraid to go to sleep. What if she had another detailed dream again? What if she accidentally moaned Damon's name? She didn't want to have to explain any of it nor rehash why she may have been dreaming about him in the first place. Avoidance was everything and denial was her penname.

"You're home," Damon's voice interrupted her reverie.

"So I am," she responded dryly. Bonnie unbuckled her seat belt. "Thank you for doing this, Damon."

"It's what I'm here for. I'll help you with your stuff."

Once her two bags were unloaded, they looked at one another. Damon grabbed her for a hug and then got missing.

Bonnie left her suitcases in the living room and slowly climbed up the stairs to her room. She stripped out of her clothes and picked up Stefan's flannel shirt and put it on. There was barely any trace of his scent left but the shirt was enough of an anchor to remind her just exactly who held her heart.

She yawned, stretched her arms over her head and got into bed. The first and only face she saw in her dreams was the vampire with the bluish-gray eyes and caramel hair.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thanks for reading guys! Love you.**


	30. Hello and Goodbye

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Whistling, Damon entered the boardinghouse and strolled up to his room. Sheila raced past his line of vision and normally he would have rolled his eyes at that cat, but instead all he could do was chuckle. Seeing her made him think of Bonnie, and thinking of Bonnie made him remember their first night on the road.

He was transported back to that horrible motel room. The air had gone out and the heat didn't even make a blip with him. But Bonnie had been restless, unable to get comfortable. She moved around constantly, kicking her legs against the hard sheets, flipping on her back and stomach. Her constant moving made him grind his teeth—not out of frustration due to tiredness—but because every time she shifted, he pictured himself tossing her all over the bed while he was buried eight and a half inches deep in her core.

Did he feel bad about having salacious thoughts about her? Maybe. But he was a man, a man who hadn't had a decent lay in months. And for months he obsessed about seeing her naked. He already knew what she sounded like in bed no thanks to her almost nightly sleepovers with Stefan. He would never use the word uptight to describe her ever again.

So it took a little more effort than usual to keep his mind focused on the plan. The plan wasn't for him to insert himself as the man for Bonnie. He was there to offer support because she was doing something that had the potential of blowing up in her face. She was confronting the woman who practically walked out of her life and never looked back.

Elena had faced a similar situation when Isobel rolled back into town. In retrospect even Damon had to cringe at knowing he not only turned Elena's birth mother, but he had sex with her. That one act made him a certifiable motherfucker. Ha-ha. Would he want to be with a woman who may have had a sexual past with his father? Hecks no. Now he could seriously ask himself what he was thinking and who taught him how to court?

Apparently no one.

Yet being there for Bonnie, acting as her support beam and muscle if need be, made him realize how much he wanted to protect a woman of his own. He didn't want to have to share someone's affection with Stefan, or put someone in the middle to make a decision that may not work in his favor. And he realized that during their trip.

Damon could admit that he loved Bonnie, but not to the extent to take her away from Stefan. They made sense together, and though he was sure a relationship with Bonnie would have been constant fireworks, did he really have the maturity to make something last long term when he had never been in a serious relationship either? So it was safe to say he had a little more growing up to do. Besides, he liked drinking, cursing, and fornicating with random women too much to settle down into a completely monogamous relationship.

Marching up the steps carrying his lone duffel bag, Damon swung open the door to his darkened bedroom and dumped his luggage next to his bed.

He shook his head and turned on the halogen lamp.

"You here to welcome me back, Stefan?"

Stefan had been standing in the far corner of his brother's room, arms folded across his chest, his hands gripping his biceps with enough force that his knuckles turned neon white.

"Where've you been?"

Damon pivoted to face his brother. "Well, _Dad _if you must know I took off for a few days. Nothing too serious."

Stefan nodded his head and then stiffened. He caught a very familiar scent coming off his brother's clothes. In the next instant, he had slammed Damon up against the wall, holding him there by the lapels of his shirt.

"Did you fuck her?" he growled.

At first Damon was confused by this line of questioning, and then it dawned on him who Stefan was referring to. He smirked. Aww, Stefan was at his cutest when he tried to be possessive.

"No I didn't fuck Bonnie."

Stefan's lips pulled back from his teeth. "You're lying."

At that Damon, pushed his little brother away from him and ran a hand down his shirt to smooth out any wrinkles.

"I might lie about a lot of things, little brother, but when it comes to fucking I don't lie about that. And you know if I nailed Bonnie I would have been wearing her panties on my head like a crown."

With an eyebrow quirked in the air, even Stefan had to admit the truth to Damon's words. Still, why was Bonnie's scent so strong on him? They had to be physically close to one another in order for her scent to be so strong. So his assumption about the two of them leaving town together had been right. Yet where did they go? And more importantly what did they do?

"So where the hell have the two of you been all weekend?"

Damon began to unpack his bag. "Unfortunately that's something you're going to have to ask your girlfriend," pause, "I mean if she's still your girlfriend. You didn't exactly clear that with her before you took off."

Hands planted on his hips, Stefan narrowed his eyes. "I never broke up with her. I just needed time to figure something's out in my mind. "

"Hmm," Damon said absently as he stuffed the socks he didn't wear back into their proper place. "Well, she's home if you want to talk to her, though I'm not so sure she wants to see you."

A chill ran down Stefan's back. "What do you mean _if _she wants to see me?" His voice then took on a hysterical pitch. "Does she think I broke up with her?!"

Damon shrugged. "If I were her, that's what I would think. Her boyfriend takes off with his ex and then blows back into town without a single call, text, or tweet. Very smooth, Stefan. She felt rejected."

"And naturally you had to swoop in and be the superhero," Stefan criticized. "Why couldn't you leave her alone? Why do you always have to fall in love with my girlfriends?"

Damon's celestial blue eyes turned indigo in a New York minute. Stefan really needed to get off that shit. Sure he was guilty of falling for Katherine, and Elena, and he might have dabbled with falling for Bonnie, but he clung to the edge of rationalism and was able to pull himself up by the boot straps. He didn't topple all the way over the cliff.

"I'm not in love with Bonnie although I know you'd like me to be to give justification to your insecurities and shortcomings as a boyfriend. Get over your shit with me because if you genuinely want to be with Bonnie you're going to have to let that crap go."

Stefan merely looked at his brother as if he grew another head. He scoffed. "Who are you? Oprah now?"

"No, Dr. Phil with much more hair and far better looking," Damon approached his brother and looked him pointedly in the eye. "Bonnie is a special girl, and she means the world to me, but I'm not in love with her. And you can take that all the way to the bank."

* * *

Well he didn't take it to the bank but he did take his tail over to Bonnie's. He needed to see her. Whatever happened or didn't happen between Bonnie and Damon it would seem his brother had an epiphany. Any feelings Damon may have had for Bonnie dissolved into friendship, which is what Stefan wanted to happen for months. Yet to see it finally occurring, it was taking him a moment or two to accept it.

For so long he and Damon had been in a fierce competition. When they were human it had been about gaining their father's approval. Then when Katherine showed up, their brotherhood turned into a bitter rivalry over her heart. And as vampires their relationship withered into a game of Survivor because Damon had a lot of pent of resentment towards Stefan, and he wanted to make him pay for every slight that was delivered by the people Damon had most wanted to impress.

Now Stefan wouldn't have to worry about Damon professing his love for Bonnie or having her second guess if she was with the right brother.

He felt like he could take a deep breath for the first time in his long life.

Stefan passed one hurdle but there were several more he needed to hop over. The hardest would be is convincing Bonnie that he still loved her, that she was still the possessor of his heart. Caroline had been right, his love for Bonnie was something of an unstoppable inferno that nothing could put out. Now he'd have to convince Bonnie of that.

So he ended up at her house and snuck inside. He could hear her soft labored breath. She was asleep.

Pushing her bedroom door open, he smiled as he saw her lying in bed, wearing one of his flannel shirts.

His heart constricted, his hands burned and itched to touch her, but he didn't want to wake her up. She was still beautiful, her face seemingly more innocent than he ever remembered seeing it. Stefan couldn't resist a moment longer. He pushed a few strands of her wavy chocolate hair off her face before tucking it behind her ear.

She moved with the motion and then burrowed her face against his palm. He smiled.

"Damon?" Bonnie whispered.

Stefan's blood turned cold and he dropped his hand as if it had been burned.

He was gone before Bonnie's eyes could flutter open. She looked around her room feeling as if someone had been standing over her. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and then checked the time. It was a little after five in the afternoon.

Bonnie flounced back on her bed. For a second she thought she was still at the beach house with Damon, but she was in her own bed in Mystic Falls. How strange. She rolled over and went back to sleep.

Two hours later, with her stomach rumbling Bonnie forced her tired body out of bed, freshened up, and drove over to The Grill.

Caroline nearly crushed all her ribs in the bear hug she gave Bonnie the moment the two girls saw one another. Matt, on a rare day off, was eating burger and fries with Caroline who insisted that Bonnie eat with them.

The three of them talked about prom. Matt had gone with Dana and it was obvious to Caroline and Bonnie that someone was harboring a crush for the brunette cheerleader as indicated by Matt's inflamed cheeks. Caroline had been persistent and ruthless in trying to pry information out of Matt who would only admit to saying Dana was a cool, stable girl e.g. she wasn't a vampire, werewolf, hybrid, or witch so that made her an ideal dating candidate.

"Excuse me, guys. The ladies room is calling my name."

Bonnie squeezed herself out of the booth and wove her way through the restaurant. However, she came to a stop when a familiar body stepped in her way.

Her eyes blinked rapidly as she faced Stefan. She had to fight against equally throwing herself in his arms and slapping him down. They hadn't seen each other since the showdown with Klaus and twin at the spring fling.

Naturally he still looked the same. But where Ripper Stefan's eyes always held a twinkle of mischief, ordinary Stefan's eyes were sad and resigned.

So the hope she felt springing up in her body imploded into disappointment.

"Hi," Stefan said and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Hi," Bonnie's voice was flat. That's it? That's all he's going to say to me? Not drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness?

Stefan's tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof of his mouth. As much as he wanted to pull Bonnie into his arms and kiss her senseless, he replayed the name she called out this afternoon. Oh, sure she could have been dreaming, but it was Damon she had been expecting. And he couldn't help feeling as if it was too late in getting her back.

Yet he would still try.

"H-how have you been?" Stefan stuttered and cleared his throat.

Bonnie snorted and looked away. "I've been better. What about you?"

Stefan bobbed his head. "The same. You were out of town for a few days."

Now it was Bonnie's turn to bob her head. "I was. There was something I needed to do."

_And you had Damon go with you instead of me, _he wanted to say but held his tongue. And how apropos that Maroon 5's "Misery" was playing in the background.

"You don't mind if I ask what it was you had to do?" he inquired very tentatively.

Bonnie imagined Stefan walking through a cave filled with rattlesnakes trying to watch his step. It made her smile—on the inside at least.

"Actually I do mind," she retorted. "Since you never gave me a full explanation for why you so abruptly left town with Katherine. I think I'll keep my business to myself."

Stefan gulped. He felt the sting of her words. "That's fair."

"No what would be fair is if I kicked your ass up and down this restaurant, but I won't go there."

He cleared his throat, knowing he had better change the subject if he wanted to salvage his relationship. Yet he had to smile because her feistiness was one of the things he loved about her.

"I'm glad you're back," he muttered.

Bonnie couldn't say she was glad to be back.

They stared awkwardly at one another. "I don't want to keep you, but I would like to talk to you—more."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "I don't know. I'll have to check my schedule so I'll get back to you on that," her tone flippant.

Well, she wasn't going to make this easy, yet the quote "The course of true love never did run smooth" was being validated in this moment, Stefan thought.

Stefan reached up as if he were going to touch her cheek or shoulder but then he hesitated and let his hand fall back to his side.

There Bonnie wanted _her _Stefan back. The Stefan who would have grabbed her, crushed her against his chest, pummel his tongue in her mouth while grabbing her ass. Not this lame, insecure Stefan who couldn't form two complete sentences when addressing her.

Stefan rocked on his heels. Why was it so hard to talk to her? "Well, I'll talk to you later."

"Uh-hun," Bonnie mumbled skeptically, rolled her eyes, and walked around Stefan.

Caroline who heard every word of their exchange could only shake her head before she locked eyes with Stefan. She dragged her index finger across her neck and then pointed at the bathroom. He didn't need Caroline to threaten his life. If he wasn't able to win Bonnie back, he was sure Caroline's best friend was already planning his funeral.

All right. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Stefan would have to become the man Bonnie had fallen in love with. But in order for that to happen, he needed to resolve who he used to be when he was with someone else.

* * *

**The Gilbert Residence-The Next Day**

Finals were right around the corner and Elena had too much to catch up on. Because of the fiasco surrounding Stefan, Originals, and her disaster of a relationship with Damon, her grades were a casualty and she was looking at graduating at the near bottom of her class with a two point four GPA. This could of course jeopardize her attending UVA in the fall so essentially Elena had to pass all of her final tests, quizzes, and exams with nothing less than a B.

School had never really been her thing. She had always been a good enough student, doing just enough to pass the class, but not enough to always end up on the honor roll semester after semester. If she had attempted to apply to Duke, she was sure the admissions board would have laughed at her application before sending it back.

Did it irk her just a little bit that Bonnie and Caroline would be going off to school together come August? Of course it did, yet Elena had to be real and say she wasn't as close to her two best friends as she used to be. It was still hard to believe that only a little over a year ago they were three peas in a pod, doing everything together from shopping, gossiping, and conspiring ways to get a guy's attention. It all seemed like a lifetime ago but in reality it only happened yesterday. She missed the closeness they shared but she had no idea how to get things back to the way they were.

Caroline was a vampire and would outlive her. Bonnie was a witch and could prolong her life if that's what she wanted to do. So where did that leave Elena?

She didn't want to be left behind.

But her friends were still important to her because other than Jeremy and Alaric they were all the family she had left. And call her selfish but she wasn't ready to let them go. Especially since things were kind of estranged.

Caroline and Bonnie were close not because they had being supernatural in common—Elena was too but to her it was a kind of lame supernatural element. She was a copy of a demented vampire. Not exactly something she wanted to go around shouting from the rooftops. But Caroline and Bonnie understood each other and always knew what the other needed.

Elena could honestly say she didn't know her friends the way she used to.

She put her pencil down. There was only a month left until graduation. She had barely seen her friends, so it was time she did something to rectify that.

Elena rummaged around in her purse until she found her phone. She sent a text to Bonnie and Caroline demanding an emergency sleepover this weekend.

She sat her phone down and nibbled her thumbnail. Back in the day she would have gotten an instant reply to her request, but five minutes passed, then ten. Feeling her irritation rise, Elena grabbed her empty glass and paraded into the kitchen.

Jeremy was there pouring himself a bowl of cereal.

"Hey Jer, when did you get in?"

"Not too long ago. I'm going out with Kate tonight so don't freak out if you go to snoop in my room and I'm not there."

Elena smiled slyly. Jeremy and Kate had gotten close and she was glad he was resuming some semblance of a life. For a minute she was more than worried about him, she questioned his sanity. Who in their right mind would try to bring back the ghost of their dead ex-girlfriend? Yeah, he was hurt, had every right to be hurt over his breakup with Bonnie, but Jeremy had a tendency to take things to the extreme. She was glad he was getting his life back on track though she knew there were certain names she couldn't use while in his presence.

The doorbell ringed. "I'll get it," Elena said and retraced her steps through the living room to the front door.

Her jaw plopped opened and her eyes bulged as they took in the person standing on the porch.

Elena knew Stefan's compulsion had been broken and that he was subsequently compelled to remember his love for her. She had mixed feelings about that. As much as she still loved him, even she knew he wasn't the same vampire she had fallen in love with.

Did she hold out hope that they'd be able to put the past behind them and move on together? Naturally. But that didn't mean it would happen or that they'd be making the right decision.

"Stefan."

"Hello, Elena. Are you busy? I'd like to talk."

Stefan gave Elena a thorough once-over and noticed that the punched-in-the-gut feeling he used to experience anytime they were together was absent. His love for Elena was like a vague presence, kind of like when you tried to remember a favorite moment from your childhood. You could see the picture in your head but not necessarily experience the emotions attached to it. This, of course, gave him a great sense of relief.

He was not in any danger of falling back in love with her.

It took a second for Elena to gather her thoughts. She looked behind her. Jeremy was munching away, oblivious. Elena stepped out on the porch, closing the door behind her.

"Sure we can talk."

"Come take a walk with me."

Stefan hoped this conversation would go a lot smoother than the one he had with Bonnie. Yet he was fully prepared to deal with a difficult Elena if it went down that route.

The two began a casual stroll down the sidewalk of her neighborhood. Elena pushed a stand of hair behind her ear.

"How have you been?" she asked to start a conversation.

Stefan nodded his head. "I've been good. You?"

"Good. I've been trying to catch up on my schoolwork. With graduation only a month away I have to make sure my GPA is up so I don't lose my admission to UVA."

"Yeah, I never got around to saying congratulations. Congratulations, Elena," he said sincerely.

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Thanks," she said bemused. "Did you apply anywhere?" she realized this was a pointless question to ask. Stefan didn't exactly "enroll" when he first came to Mystic Falls High, so getting into college would be a piece of cake for him. He had the best built in mind manipulation system this side of the Mississippi.

"No, I didn't," he stopped walking. "I wanted to apologize for how I treated you, how I behaved when I was under compulsion. You know I would never do anything to hurt you."

Elena nodded her head and then stared down at her feet. "I know. But you had some control of what you were doing. I mean…you fell in love with my best friend. Klaus didn't compel you to do that."

Stefan sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "I did fall in love with Bonnie," he admitted. "And I don't regret that."

Elena thought she had made her peace about this, but it still stung hearing him say that. "So…you do still love her?"

Stefan looked into her dark brown eyes before nodding his head. "I do, in fact I never stopped, but I do remember how I…felt about you, Elena. You will always be my first _real _love. Katherine doesn't count because it was infatuation not love. But," he licked his lips, "you'll always have a special place in my heart, but I need to let that go if I hope to have a future with Bonnie."

Elena felt tears prick her eyes, but she took a deep breath and straightened her spine. "And you were mine. I won't lie to you, Stefan, it's still hard for me to accept you loving someone else, but if you say your feelings for Bonnie are real…then I'm not going to hold you to the past. I told Jeremy he couldn't love a ghost for the rest of his life, and I need to take my own advice. You're not the same man I fell in love with."

"I'm not," Stefan agreed. "We've all gone through hell and none of us is the same. Bonnie was with me when I was at my worst, and I love her. I can't help it."

"And you shouldn't have to." Elena was a little surprised by how maturely she was handling her ex-boyfriend telling her he wasn't here to win her back, but to let her go.

The two old lovers looked at one another. Stefan pulled Elena into a hug and kissed her hair. "I know you're going to have an awesome future, Elena. You deserve it."

Elena pulled away, nodded her head, and sniffled. "You do, too," she took in a deep breath. "I guess this is goodbye."

"No, not goodbye, but nice to know you and I hope to see you again."

Elena attempted a smile and wiped away a tear before it could roll down her cheek.

Stefan took a step away, inclined his head and began heading toward his car. Elena remained on the sidewalk until he drove off. Needing a moment to collect herself, when the threat of tears disappeared she walked back to her house.

She saw Jeremy washing out his bowl and the bing of her cell phone caught her attention. Caroline finally replied back saying that she would be bringing the flicks and Bonnie the snacks.

Elena smiled sadly.

"You okay?" Jeremy asked on his way up to his room.

Elena nodded her head and faced him. "Yeah, I am."

* * *

**The Salvatore Boardinghouse**

Bonnie strolled inside with a parcel under her arm. She bounded up the stairs and found Damon in his room packing away his winter clothes. Spring weather was finally upon them and the mornings were no longer crisp but balmy, and it wouldn't be long until the notorious southern heat made its way into town.

"Bonnie," Damon said in the process of folding up a pair of jeans that had a nice sizable rip in it. Those might have been the jeans he was wearing when Tyler Lockwood bit him.

"Hey, making room in your closet to hide a body?"

"Ha-ha. Do you know what a bitch blood is to get out of designer threads? What's that under your arm?"

Bonnie came up to him and hopped up on his bed. Damon lifted a cocky eyebrow in the air.

"You remember the awards dinner you escorted me to back in October?"

Damon nodded.

Bonnie slapped the book on the bed. "It's the photo album. I ordered an extra copy just for you." She flipped the book to a certain page.

Damon was greeted with the sight of Bonnie helping repaint the music room of the middle school where she did her mentor work. And on the corresponding page was the picture they took together at the banquet. It was a little jarring to see how good they looked together. At the time the photo had been taken, he and Bonnie weren't as tight as they were now.

"Dayummmm I look good."

Bonnie could do nothing but shake her head.

Damon did not want to renege on what he said to Stefan yesterday, but he and Bonnie made such a pretty pair those old unrequited feelings were trying to rear it's ugly head.

Bonnie watched Damon as he stared at their photo. Even she had to admit they made the perfect arm candy for one another.

"We've done a complete one-eighty," Bonnie's words interrupted his reverie.

Damon's eyes flew up to her face. "How do you mean?"

"Well, there was a point in our sordid history where we tried to kill each other, and yet we managed to overlook our glaringly obvious differences to work together to save the lives of the people we love. I never thought we'd be at this point. I couldn't stand your ass," she laughed.

"The feeling was mutual."

"That's only because I didn't take your shit."

Damon chuckled. "No you didn't. And no matter what I did, I couldn't flip you over to the dark side."

"But we're at a good place now, Damon. So I want to invite you to Senior Night."

He arched a dark eyebrow in the air, a little taken aback. "You do? How do you know I wasn't planning on crashing anyways?"

Bonnie chortled. "I figured you would, but I'll just go ahead and officially invite you. Besides I need my sponsor there on the off chance I win the music scholarship."

_Yeah that_, Damon remembered. If she won, she'd be spending the whole of the summer in Switzerland.

"Count me in, boo," he flicked the tip of her nose.

Bonnie swatted his hand and then hopped off the bed. "It's Thursday night at the community center starting at six o'clock. Don't be late."

When he was alone in his room, Damon picked up the book and examined the photo. He ran a finger along the curve of Bonnie's cheek. That little witch did the impossible by bewitching him. He'd miss her once she left for school.

Bonnie padded down the hall but stopped when she saw Sheila waiting for her near the staircase.

"Hey, baby," she crooned and bent over opening up her arms. Sheila meowed and ran over to Bonnie who scooped her up and began to scratch behind the cat's ears. "You want to come home with me?"

Sheila purred and rubbed her head against Bonnie's chest.

Continuing on her way out of the house, Bonnie was on the next to last step when she heard a door from upstairs opening.

"Where are you going with my pussy?"

Bonnie nearly stumbled down the last step as she clutched Sheila so she wouldn't drop her. She turned around and looked up.

Stefan took the steps two at a time until he reached her. Bonnie stared at him before remembering her voice.

"Excuse me?"

He inclined his head to the cat. "Where are you going with Sheila?"

She was still confused. "Y-you were talking about the cat?"

His eyes were laughing as he reached for Sheila and sat her down. She scuttled away. Bonnie stepped down the final step and began walking backwards. Stefan advanced like a lion in the Serengeti.

Bonnie felt her mouth swell with saliva. She hadn't heard Stefan talk like that in a long time.

"What else would I be talking about?" he bumped into her, until her breasts were flattened against his chest.

Her traitorous body flared to life. "Ah, Stefan are you feeling all right?"

He shook his head, took her hand and placed it right over his heart and then slid it down over his amazing abs before making her cup him.

"No, in fact I haven't felt right in a long time. Baby, I miss you. And I want to fix what's broken between us. Have dinner with me."

Her mouth began to dry up as she felt Stefan hardening against her touch. She bit her lip but then remembered he was on her shit list. Bonnie snatched her hand away.

"Why should I?"

There was no place for Bonnie to go. She found herself being pressed up against the wall and Stefan's body.

"Because you still love me. I messed up. I left you when I should have come to you. I know it's going to take more than dinner to get you to forgive me, but I'm willing to do anything." He brushed her hair off her shoulder and inhaled her perfumed neck.

Bonnie grabbed a hold of his shoulders. She had meant to push him away, but she pulled him closer. Stefan wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Please," he breathed against her neck. "Have dinner with me."

She felt her resolve weakening. "O-okay," she stuttered.

"Thank you," he placed a kiss to the jumping vein in her neck. He pulled away to stare into her eyes. "Can I make a request?"

Bonnie nodded her head.

Stefan smirked. "Wear something that'll make me want to eat you on sight." He eyed her up and down and Bonnie felt the heat of his eyes as if they were lasers. "Not like I don't already want to."

Her eyes bulged at the request. Stefan moved away far enough for Bonnie to slip away, but he caught her by the hand, and kissed it.

"Tomorrow night," he said and kissed her hand again and licked her knuckle.

She blinked and stumbled her way to her car.

The next day Bonnie sat down on one of the picnic tables in the quad across from Caroline. The blond vampire spotted Bonnie's furrowed brow.

"Bon? What's wrong?"

"I'm in trouble."

"What?"

Bonnie looked into Caroline's cornflower blue eyes and nodded her head. "I think Ripper Stefan has returned."

It was amazing to watch Caroline's face turn into a leer in slow motion. First it was the wide open eyes, mouth in the shape of an O, before dissolving into slanted eyes, a scrunched nose, and her lips splitting into an ear-to-ear grin.

"You are so dead," Caroline giggled.

"Yeah," Bonnie said dryly before she began to match Caroline's euphoric expression. "And I can't wait!"

Chapter end.

**A/N: Once again, thank you guys for reading! **


	31. Ooh La La

**A/N: There are only four chapters left and this baby will be coming to a close. Again. *Sigh*. Enjoy.**

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

"I feel like some ground rules should be established."

Bonnie paused in adding liquid foundation to her face as she looked at Caroline through the reflection in the mirror. Her blond friend was busy taking the hot rollers out of Bonnie's mane in preparation for her date with Stefan. The better part of the day had been spent at the nail salon getting mani's and pedi's and some special waxing done to a sensitive area. With only an hour left before Stefan was due to pick Bonnie up from Caroline's, it did not put her in the mood to be given "the talk" as if she were sixteen going out on her first date.

True this was her first time going out on a date with a non-compelled Stefan, but he had behaved scandalously in the classes they shared, whispering disgusting suggestions he'd like to do to her, and giving her the look which usually set her panties on fire. All day she had been nothing but one big ball of hormones and nerves.

Well her nerves were frayed at the seams and Bonnie hoped for both of their sakes they'd make it to the restaurant, keeping their hands to themselves.

"Caroline," Bonnie reproached but the blonde deliberately ignored it.

"I don't want to hear any objections about it, Bonnie. You haven't spent a great deal of time around Stefan in weeks. I smelled the sex rolling off the both of you at lunch, and I'm afraid that you'll be on your hands and knees in thirty seconds or less."

Bonnie snorted. "Are you forgetting the small fact he and I have been together for nine months?"

Caroline shook her head and dropped another hot roller back into the case. "No, I haven't forgotten, but he has some explaining to do and I'm saying don't make it too easy for him to pick up where the two of you left off. He's going to have to earn it."

Bonnie went back to applying her makeup. "I agree with you, Care. And I should be offended that you think I'd give it up on the spot. I know how to control myself."

Yes, Caroline was well aware of the fact that Bonnie was Miss Prim and Proper at least when she chose to be. But Caroline hadn't met one good girl who could resist a bad boy and Stefan was playing the heck out of that role. Bonnie would be cooked before she even realized she had been slapped on the menu.

"Anyways," Caroline continued. "I still think you need a little coaching before he gets here. Now, I have no objections to hand holding. It's quite sweet actually. But he shouldn't touch you anywhere below the neck."

"Then doesn't that negate the hand holding?" Bonnie cocked a dark eyebrow in the air.

Caroline thought for a moment and then dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. "You know what I mean, chick. If Stefan puts his hands anywhere below the waist, you're done."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. She was now focusing on applying mascara to her lashes.

"And I think you shouldn't talk about sex—_at all._" Caroline began to brush out Bonnie's curls until her hair turned wavy. "It's a dangerous topic that'll put all sorts of ideas into your head. You'll probably figure out some way to use a fork to stimulate pleasure that no human should ever attempt to do."

Bonnie chuckled. Caroline's mind had always been an interesting place, but really no place for a normal person to go into without a hard hat.

Once Bonnie's hair was perfect in Caroline's estimation, she flitted over to her dresser and rummaged around until she found the garment she was looking for. She held them up and Bonnie stared at her strangely.

"I think you should wear these tonight."

"What?" Bonnie was incredulous.

Caroline held up the large print design bloomers and shrugged. "They're cute."

"Caroline those are big enough to cover a dining room table."

Caroline snickered. "Exactly. These are what I like to refer to as period panties. You know, the underwear you wear when Aunt Flo is in town for three to five days."

"If I wore those—which I'm not—you'll see panty lines."

"Right, and if you wear these and not a thong he'll know you mean business about there being no sex tonight."

Bonnie could do nothing more than shake her head. She could appreciate Caroline wanting to look after her virtue, but Bonnie had been around Stefan long enough to know how to deflect his moves, which she knew he would already try. He practically made her feel him up when he asked her out initially. If that wasn't a clear indication of what he wanted to happen between them, she didn't know what was.

"So he's going to take one look at those and run for the hills?" Bonnie snorted. "You must have forgotten that guys very rarely care what package the 'gem' is wrapped up in. If you think gigantic dross is going to stop him from trying to take them off, it must have slipped your mind that Stefan grew up in an era where women wore underwear three times that size."

"Okay fine," Caroline tossed the underwear aside and then reached for Bonnie's dress, what there was of it anyways. It had a sweetheart bodice that dipped almost to the end of her sternum covered with lace that formed a high collar with shot cap sleeves. It tied around the neck leaving the entire back exposed, with a hem that stopped about mid-thigh. And did she forget to mention it was fire engine red? Stefan was liable to spray his shorts the minute he saw Bonnie in it.

Bonnie accepted the dress from Caroline and wiggled it over her hips.

Caroline tied the bow in the back. "I'm really happy you guys have decided to work things out. After the year you had, I'm really hoping this will be the end of the drama."

Bonnie could only nod her head. She didn't like dwelling on the tumultuous nature of her relationship with Stefan. But she was happy they were getting to a place where things should be smooth sailing from here on out.

"Thank you, Caroline," Bonnie said sincerely. "Since you found out about me and Stef, you've been our biggest supporter. And I never stopped to ask you why you didn't try to warn me away from him?"

Bonnie turned around to face her lifetime friend. Caroline's blue eyes looked clouded with sadness for a moment. She took in a deep breath before replying to Bonnie's question.

"Because Stefan was there for me when I became this," she waved her hands over her body. "He didn't try to kill me like Damon did; he was there to clean up my mess when I fed on Matt and Carter. He didn't give up on me when everyone else was like 'put Caroline down because she's going to eat everyone in sight and ask for more'."

Some sharp pain—mostly guilt stabbed Bonnie. She had been one of the biggest anti-Caroline people out there when she became a vampire. Nevertheless with time Bonnie was able to get over her bias and realize that Caroline never asked to become a vampire, and because she didn't know what was happening to her, she didn't know how to control her impulses. Yet what Bonnie had been mostly afraid of was losing the Caroline she had grown up with—forever. She judged her friend without knowing the full story, and that had been one of her biggest regrets.

"I should have been there for you instead of treating you like some kind of pariah," Bonnie admitted.

"But I understand why now. Back then you blamed vampires for the destruction to the town, to the people you loved. I just kind of got roped in with the rest of them."

"It still wasn't right, Caroline. You've been my best friend my whole life…I should have been right there beside Stefan helping you."

Caroline reached for Bonnie's hands. "And you did help me." She held up the hand with her day walking ring. "You made me this so I could have as normal a life as possible." She smiled. "Besides I figured if anyone could help Stefan from becoming the biggest butt hole on the planet, who better than you. As much as Elena tried to help Stefan and Damon, all she did was create a bigger mess by giving Damon false hope while holding on to her love for Stefan. You were the breath of fresh air Stefan needed."

Bonnie didn't want to ruin her makeup but if she didn't switch the topic right now, her mascara would start running due to her tears.

"So that being said…forget my warning of keeping your legs closed. People break up to make up all the time."

Bonnie sniffled. "No you have a point. I shouldn't just give up the cookies. At least not until after we talk."

The door bell chose that moment to ring. Both girls looked at one another before grinning.

"I'll get the door while you finish up."

"Okay."

Caroline shut her bedroom door after exiting, walked down the hallway and swung open the front door.

"Whoo," unconsciously fell from her lips and Caroline straightened her spine. Though Stefan wasn't wearing a suit, what he did have on didn't make him any less drool worthy. He stood on her porch dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a white button down with a skinny black tie, and a tight leather jacket that hugged his muscles.

Stefan's grin was smug. "Hey Care-Bear is my girl ready or what?"

The girl in question sniffed and folded her arms over her chest. "I feel like I should go over some ground rules…"

"Well, considering I'm older than you and in a roundabout sort of way your uncle, since it was Damon's blood that created you…"

Caroline snorted and looked away. She didn't need a reminder of her who her immortal father was.

"I think I know how to behave myself with _my _girlfriend. But if it would make you feel better to threaten to bury my body in a concrete sarcophagus should I do anything to hurt Bonnie, go right ahead."

Caroline could do nothing but shake her head. She heard heels clacking against the hardwood floors behind her. She shifted until Bonnie was in Stefan's line of sight.

The whistle he gave did not go unnoticed and actually caused a few dogs in the neighborhood to protest against the sharp sound.

"We might not be going anywhere tonight."

Blood rushed to Bonnie's cheeks. She stared at Caroline, gave her a brief hug before accepting Stefan's outstretched hand.

"Have her home by ten. It's a school night," Caroline ordered and then had to shake her head because her friends were too busy eye fucking to hear a single word she just said.

"You look exquisite," Stefan growled and felt some fun activity taking place in his pants.

"So do you. In fact you good enough to f-," she didn't finish her thought. She didn't need to.

"That I am. And if you're good I might give you a sample."

"Cut," Caroline shaped her hands into a T as if she were a referee and stepped out on the porch. "Do not make me hop in my car and follow you. This is a simple dinner, not some poorly scripted porno. Now please, control yourselves."

Neither Bonnie nor Stefan looked repentant as they inched their way down the stairs, towards his waiting car.

"Bye, Care," Bonnie waved.

"Hey, not to worry she's in good hands," Stefan smirked and then proceed to place his hand right above the cusp of Bonnie's ass while he hustled her to the car. Caroline remained on the porch until they sped away.

"I predict her dress will be in shreds by the end of the night."

* * *

They were the pair that turned heads. Men were popped on the back of the head by their wives when Bonnie sashayed past their tables. And women began to order buckets of water and fanned themselves if Stefan so much as lifted an eyebrow in their direction.

When the waiter showed them to their table, Stefan had been the one to pull out Bonnie's chair. He placed the napkin in her lap and kissed the shell of her ear before moving to his side of the table. The drive to the Mediterranean restaurant had been something like torture. He kept volleying between staring at her legs and cleavage when he should have been concentrating on the road, but it was a good thing he had such quick reflexes or they would have crashed several times.

Bonnie for her part tried to remain unaffected by Stefan, but it had been so long since the two of them spent any length of time alone, it was difficult to keep her hands strictly to herself.

After they placed their appetizer order and were sharing a bottle of wine, Stefan opened up the dialogue.

"We have a lot we need to talk about."

Bonnie took a sip of her drink. "We do so I'll start. Our first problem is college and the strong possibility that I might be going to Switzerland two weeks after graduation."

Stefan bit into a piece of lobster bread. "I'm coming with you. Problem solved."

When he said it so matter-of-fact Bonnie figured it would be pretty much pointless to raise any other objection to that. It wasn't like he had a heap of responsibility stacked on his shoulders in reasons why he couldn't leave Mystic Falls. So he was right—that problem was solved.

"Okay," Stefan said tentatively. "The next set of problems is how you think I feel about Elena, and why I ran off with Katherine."

Bonnie said nothing to refute that. This she definitely wanted answers to.

"Well, I didn't run off with Katherine," he confessed—his girlfriend stared at him with disbelief dancing in her mint-green orbs. "True, when I first ran away she offered me a lift, but then dumped me on the side of the road. I only said I was with Katherine because I didn't want you to look for me. I figured if you thought I was with her, you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me."

"You're right about that," Bonnie said tightly.

"I just needed time to clear out the junk in my head. I wasn't expecting to be compelled to remember how I felt about Elena, and once Raphael said it, all those memories of us together just hit me at once. It was a lot to take in. Compared with how I feel about you, Bonnie I was too messed up to tell left from right."

"But you could have told me that instead of lying to me."

Stefan nodded his head. "I made a lot of poor decisions in how I handled that situation. I see that now, but I'm glad I took the time away, because," he reached for her hand, "as much as I did love Elena it doesn't compare to how much I love you."

Bonnie saw the truth of his confession in his eyes. It warmed her considerably.

"And have you resolved the way you feel about Elena?" she asked softly.

Stefan squeezed her hand. "I did. In fact I talked to her the other day and said goodbye. I told her she'd always have a special place in my heart, but she's a part of my past that I needed to let go if I hoped to have a future with you. She's not the girl I dream about at night, and she's certainly not the girl who can make my dick harder than a cryogenically frozen head."

Bonnie chuckled. Ah, Stefan he always had a way with words.

"I love you, Bonnie and nothing is going to nor has changed that."

She smiled at his words. "You know I love you, too. You're all I think about. I was afraid that I would lose you because..." it would be hard admitting something Bonnie pointedly ignored for a very long time. "Because everyone usually falls for Elena first."

"In case you're wondering she doesn't have a magical vagina...but you do," he winked her. Bonnie rolled her eyes but the compliment touched her in an odd way. "And I'm not saying that because you're a witch. I remember the first time I slipped into you-,"

Bonnie kicked him under the table and looked around. "We're in public, Stef."

He looked affronted. "So? I will stand up on this chair and announce to the entire world that I was whipped from the moment I ate you out."

Bonnie was as red as her dress. She needed a glass of ice water. "Okay moving on to something else," she said.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "You're no fun." he sighed and then sobered. "So this leaves us with our final problem," he took a gulp of wine. "Why were you with Damon in South Carolina last weekend?"

_Fudge! _Bonnie thought and knew she should have prepared herself for this question.

She placed her elbows on the table. "Do you remember me telling you that Klaus threatened my mother?"

Stefan nodded.

"Well, I found her using a locator spell. After you took off, Damon showed up at my house wanting to cheer me up so he invited me to go with him to Miami, but I asked if we could go look for my mother instead. He agreed."

Okay, Stefan wouldn't have thought that would be the reason the two of them would take off without a word to anyone else.

"So did you find her? Talk to her?"

"I did. She told me the story of how she met my dad, and barely touched on how she knew Klaus, but that's not the biggest secret I learned…I have a sister."

Both of Stefan's eyebrows arched. "You do? Did you get a chance to talk to her?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, I was too busy grilling Abby for information. I did want to talk to Bianca—that's her name—but Abby's new husband showed up."

"Wow," Stefan drawled.

"Wow, indeed. Needless to say things got pretty awkward from that point on, and I left."

"I should have been the one to go with you. That's no easy thing…confronting your past. I never should have left you, Bonnie."

"We weren't speaking, Stefan so things would have been three times as awkward with you there."

He thought about that for a minute. She was probably right. "Do you have any plans to go back down there and see them again?"

Bonnie shrugged and nibbled on a piece of bread. "Maybe…but right now I need to focus on my future, not my past."

Their appetizers arrived.

"But how did it make you feel to know your mom basically started another family without you?"

Bonnie sighed. "It didn't make me feel good. I told her that my relationship with my father is basically non-existent, and that she should have been there for me, and...well she cried and said how guilty she felt, but...I could tell she wasn't going to go out of her way to remain in contact with me. I don't know, Stefan, it kind of feels like this was a closed adoption that went bad. She claimed she tried to reach out to me but my dad kept us apart. I've yet to confront him about it."

"You know there're two sides to every story. Maybe he had his reasons."

Bonnie didn't look convinced. "There's no reason for one parent to keep the other parent away unless there's a history of abuse or neglect involved. And it wasn't his decision to make. She's my mother."

"Yeah," Stefan agreed quietly. He wished he could say more to her about this. "Just say the word and I'll take care of her."

Bonnie snorted and finished her glass of wine. "Don't tempt me. I just find it all so...disconcerting. I mean, I could have passed Bianca in the street and I never would have guessed she's my sister. Abby should have told me that much. She knew where to find me."

Stefan nodded his head in agreement. "But her connection to Klaus...how did she explain that?"

Their entrees arrived.

Bonnie sprinkled her tilapia with salt and pepper. "All she said was that they met in Chicago; he asked her if she was a witch, she denied it, and then showed her he was a vampire. I know there's more to the story. There has to be from the way she was acting."

"And that was?"

"Like she was keeping something from me. Something important."

"With Klaus involved I would imagine. But I wouldn't worry about it too much unless he makes some kind of move against her. You've pretty much secured our insurance that he can't hurt anyone of us without hurting himself. And thank you, my love."

Bonnie grinned. "You're welcome and truth be told you're the only person to thank me. I tell you I get no respect in this place."

"Well you have mine, and also my heart and my balls. They're under your lock and key."

"And like you said last night, my pussy is yours."

Stefan looked stunned and then raised a lone finger in the air. "Check, please!"

Bonnie laughed. "Finish your dinner."

They fed one another flatbread with spinach and artichoke dip, thinly cut slices of roast beef and green olives, and feta cheese.

Bonnie was deliciously stuffed. "What are we doing after this?" she asked expectantly. "Are we going to see a movie?"

"No," Stefan sighed his name on the check and handed it over to the waiter. "I was thinking we'd head to U Street for a little dancing."

Bonnie thought for a moment. "There is no U Street in Mystic Falls."

"You're right, there's not but there is one in DC."

Bonnie wiggled her ear to make sure she heard right. "You're talking about the nation's capital DC?"

Stefan merely nodded, rose from his chair, and assisted Bonnie out of hers. She checked the time on her cell phone. It was already after nine.

"Stefan there's no way we'd make it to DC in less than four hours."

"Has anyone ever told you, you worry too much?"

"I'm sure someone has," she grumbled.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about anything. I have everything covered."

Bonnie didn't say another word, hardly made a peep as Stefan drove them to a private air field where a helicopter was waiting for them.

She only spoke when she realized that Stefan would be the one flying and not an actual pilot. "Ah, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Her leg began bouncing.

Stefan shrugged, flipped some switches, turned some dials and the propellers began to move. "I read the manual."

Her eyes bugged out. She clutched his arm for dear life as the helicopter began to lift off from the ground. She pierced her eyes closed and felt the contents of her stomach slosh around like soda in a bottle.

"If you crash…"

"Bonnie, be quiet and let me focus. We're not going to crash and you're missing the city lights with your eyes closed. Open up those beautiful orbs and look around."

Tentatively…very tentatively she unglued her eyes and found herself in awe. The city really was beautiful as they flew across it. Mystic Falls looked like a picturesque miniature model.

Forty-five minutes later they were landing at another private strip just a few miles outside of DC.

Twenty minutes later they were seated in a private booth at a neo-soul club enjoying a dessert called Fire and Ice. It consisted of a slice of dark chocolate cake drizzled with melted chocolate and jalapeño sauce and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Bonnie took a bite of the cake, whereas Stefan spooned the ice cream in his mouth; the two leaned over and kissed, exchanging the dessert with a push of their tongues in the other's mouth. It was a bit messy but the contrast of hot and cold and tongue was enough to dampen the seat of Bonnie's thong.

They didn't spend much time on the dance floor after they scraped the dessert plate clean. The heat of the dessert turned up her core temperature and all that could alleviate was it was feeling Stefan's icy body against hers in the most intimate and primal way.

And the sensual music the DJ was playing wasn't helping with keeping her virtue—what was left of it—in tact. From Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu flowing through her ears, entering her bloodstream, she was really pushed over the edge when "Lick" by Joi began to stream through the speakers.

Yes! Her kitty cat was ready to play. Pronto!

So when she curled around him like a snake and whispered in his ear that she was ready to go, Stefan grabbed her by the hand and zoomed out of the club.

After the flight back to their neck of the woods, and they were in the car, Bonnie leaned her seat all the way back, grabbed Stefan's right hand and pushed it between her thighs.

He swerved a bit as her heat singed his fingers. He had been without her for so long it was taking everything that made him a vampire to concentrate on driving and not wrecking.

Yet he had to grin because Stefan figured he'd be the one doing all the seducing.

Speeding down the highway doing ninety he was at her place in ten minutes flat. Bonnie scrambled out of the car, digging around in her purse for her house key. Stefan could have easily broken the lock, but she didn't want to have to explain that to her dad.

While she was busy fumbling around, Stefan pushed her hair to the side and flirted with untying the bow to her dress with his teeth.

Unfortunately Caroline's warning about not giving it up too soon had to harp in her ear. She spun around and faced Stefan and found herself being ignited by the raw hunger and lust beaming from his eyes. She bit a corner of her lip.

"I had fun tonight," she said.

"So," he kissed her shoulder.

"Did," kissed her other shoulder.

"I," he buried his tongue in her mouth. His hands gripped her by the waist and then molded to the globes of her ass. Stefan brought her flush against him and she hissed the second his hardness pressed against her stomach.

_You have neighbors, Bonnie and they don't need to see this, _so she pulled away abruptly. It was too soon for this. Right?

Stefan looked one part angry and another part confused. "Why'd you stop?"

"Because I think we're moving just a little too fast. I mean, we've only just reconciled, and we're getting to know each another again."

"Yes," he ran a hand down her cheek, her throat, before running it across her breast. "That's what I'm trying to do here, Bon, get to know you," he wiggled his eyebrows.

She shook her head. "Not like this." She pulled his hand away and interlocked their fingers.

Stefan growled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "_Please _don't make me threaten to drain all of your neighbors, love."

"Do what you like. I don't care," she called his bluff.

Stefan glared at her, but re-entered her personal space and began to nuzzle Bonnie in her special spot. "I have other means of getting what I want. But let me say it so there won't be any misunderstanding. I want you impaled on my dick. I want you sliding up and down on it, rolling your hips, coating me with your juices. You don't I could always force my tongue in your hole and then walk away without getting you off."

"You are so evil," Bonnie squeaked.

He chuckled and pulled away so he could look her right in the eye. "And I'm _very _hungry. I haven't eaten in a long time. And you were always my favorite dessert. Yet I'm sure I can say all of that in a nicer way, so here goes," his eyes darkened to cobalt blue, "I want to make love to you, Bonnie. I want our bodies connected in the deepest and most intimate way. I want to taste your essence on my tongue and mouth. Will you oblige me?"

She was speechless. And yet found the courage to say, "We might be able to work something out."

Stefan didn't hide his smug grin. "Good." He took her lips again and Bonnie blindly opened up the door and they spilled inside.

Stefan kicked the door closed with his boot, threw Bonnie over his shoulder and flashed up to her room.

There had been no need for Caroline to worry about Bonnie's dress ending up in shreds, because the minute Bonnie's back hit the bed, she was the one to wrench Stefan's shirt apart. The poor buttons of his shirt didn't stand a chance against her determination. The minute his chest was exposed, she placed open-mouth kisses to his pecks, flicked her tongue against his nipple.

Stefan hastily removed his jacket, then cupped Bonnie by the back of the head as he lowered her to the bed. His hands reached under her dress, hooked his thumbs into the seam of her thong and pulled it down her legs.

He didn't give her any chance to prepare herself, as he hiked her left leg over his shoulder, and dove right into her heat.

She arched off the bed, grabbed him none-too-gently by the hair on the crown of his head as he rolled and swiped his tongue over her swollen and pulsating nub.

In her head, Bonnie was saying this mantra: _Caroline's gonna kill me. Caroline's gonna kill me. But I'll die right now if Stefan doesn't fuck me!_

Bonnie felt her end coming much too quickly. So she grabbed Stefan by the chin and forced him up.

That took a great deal of strength to do. As suspected his mouth and chin were coated, but that didn't stop her from kissing him and tasting herself.

"I don't want to come yet," she said, her voice guttural. They switched positions with Bonnie straddling him.

She reached behind her and unbuckled his jeans, thankful he hadn't been wearing a belt. As soon as his jeans were unzipped she burrowed her hand inside and gripped his hardened flesh. Well, Mr. Salvatore hadn't bothered wearing underwear—the freak!

While she was busy playing with his joy stick, Stefan sat up and reached for the bow to her dress, and pulled on a string. The top fell down, releasing her breasts, which he eagerly put one in his mouth.

There was no sound coming from the room other their feverish movements, and rushed breathing. Stefan flipped Bonnie on her back again, working the material of her dress up to cinch her waist like a belt. He dipped his head and peppered her navel with kisses before blowing on it.

She didn't want to wait any longer. She needed to feel him heavy and cold inside of her, so she used her feet to push his pants down to around his knees.

Stefan loomed on top of her, grabbing her by both sides of her head before kissing her swollen lips.

Downstairs, the slamming front door barely caught her attention, but when she heard her father bellow her name, Bonnie nearly pushed Stefan off of her.

"Shit! My dad! You gotta go."

Stefan looked murderous as he stared at her and then at his engorged erection. He pointed at his predicament. "What do you expect me to do with this? Jack off?"

Bonnie bit her lip. Several ideas came to mind but if her father caught her with a boy in her room about to do something x-rated she could forget about going to college, he'd probably ship her to a nunnery in Spain.

"I wish I could help you with that, but Daddy still thinks I'm a virgin and I don't have the heart to ruin his fantasy."

Stefan rolled his eyes and then rolled out of bed. He stuffed himself back into his pants, which took some doing. He twisted to see Bonnie hustle inside her bathroom, and when she came prancing back out, she ran smack dab into Stefan's chest who hoisted her against the wall and kissed her senseless.

Bonnie allowed herself to be pulled under before the reality of the situation came crashing on her shoulders again. Her father was making his way upstairs.

Her bedroom door creaked open and Stefan's tongue was still very much in her mouth. Yet by the time her father had opened the door, he found her room empty.

The light coming from her bathroom told him of the whereabouts of his daughter. Turning the corner, he saw his princess brushing her hair, dressed in nothing but her bathrobe.

"Hey, baby," he greeted.

Bonnie feigned surprise. "Hey, Dad you're back from your trip early."

"Yeah, the project wasn't as technical as my manager thought it would be. Are you just getting in?" he saw traces of makeup on Bonnie's face.

"Ah, yeah. I was over at Caroline's studying and taking notes."

Thomas Bennett nodded his head in approval. "Well, I won't keep you. And you should be heading off to bed, young lady. It's almost midnight, and you have school in the morning."

"Okay, goodnight, Dad," Bonnie smiled at her father until he disappeared out of her room.

The second he was gone, a pair of hands began to work the knot in her robe loose.

"Stefan…my dad…he'll hear us."

"And, my clever witch, I'm sure you can do something about that?" he nibbled her ear.

There was. Bonnie mumbled some words and turned around in Stefan's arms allowing him to simulate with his tongue what another appendage of his was going to do to her. Slowly they shuffled back to Bonnie's bed.

Caroline would most definitely be disappointed but with everything else she'd get over it.

Chapter end.

**A/N: There's nothing I love more than writing about a sexually aggressive (in a good way) Stefan Salvatore. Although by the show I'm getting a little disheartened by his progression, regression, stagnation, I'm trying to keep the vision of Stefan and all the TVD characters pure in my mind because really I wouldn't ship Bonnie with anyone on the show with the exception of Matt and Connor. Until next time...love ya!  
**


	32. And The Winner Is?

**Disclaimer: These characters are the property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.**

The world whizzed by; it was nothing more than a blur of movement. Things changed, went in and out of focus, sharpened, and then disintegrated into odd shapes that somehow fit a maelstrom of a puzzle. Interconnecting lines, circles, and swirls danced before her mint-green eyes like a disjointed ballet. Was this what it felt like to be high on LSD? Probably close but no cigar.

Bonnie's hair whipped her face and it would be a miracle if she didn't have any welts or scratches once Stefan took his lead foot off the accelerator.

She looked over to her reunited Shakespearean anti-hero of a boyfriend as he had one hand on the wheel, the other clutching her terrified fingers. He decided to take the scenic route to school today and because they got a little "distracted" they were running close to forty-five minutes late and had already missed first period.

Bonnie had ridden with her boyfriend when he drove like Paul Walker in Fast and the Furious plenty of times, and not once had she ever been scared, but today for some reason, her heart was pounding defiantly against her ribcage.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact they were approaching Wickery Bridge. It was a bridge that had been apart of Mystic Falls for nearly a century and had been restored to keep up with the changes in industrialization, but there had always been something ominous attached to that bridge that gave Bonnie the willies and she tried to avoid it when she could. If taking a detour was impossible, she'd fly over it going faster than the posted speed limit of thirty-five miles an hour.

But this bridge was associated with the Gilbert's death, and with the speed Stefan was driving—she checked the speedometer—her eyes bulged, Bonnie began to say a silent prayer.

The tires screeched against the asphalt as he took the sharp curve leading to the bridge at a dangerous speed. Bonnie gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. Her heart beat tripled and she was two seconds from screaming.

He zoomed over it with her hardly noticing. The minute Bonnie felt it was safe to peel her eyes open she could see the school.

Stefan took his foot off the gas and began to obey traffic laws again, especially since there was a Sheriff's vehicle hidden kind of poorly behind some bushes. Stefan waved at the officer, a big Kool-Aid grin on his face, as he shot off the second the red light turned green.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he asked and brought his attention to Bonnie. Stefan's eyes narrowed when he saw Bonnie had her back braced up against the seat and he wondered if perhaps his Mad Max driving scared her more than it turned her on. Typically Bonnie was an ally to speed. Especially when they were doing it and she was about to come, she'd slap his ass and tell him to—using her words now—"speed the hell up, Stefan" and he'd happily oblige his sweet pea. However, something was wrong with her this morning, and more than likely it had everything to do with the announcement of the music scholarship she was up for.

"Oh, I'm fine, just wondering what _dress _Caroline would pick out for my funeral. Do you have any idea how fast you were going? No, because you were too busy trying to go warp speed that you failed to notice you were going almost a hundred and thirty in a thirty-five lane."

Stefan found a vacant spot not long after pulling into the lot and cut the engine. He chuckled. Bonnie grimaced and looked away.

"You're not mad I was driving like a lunatic, you're just nervous about tonight."

"Maybe," she replied.

"Well," he leaned over the console, took Bonnie's chin gently into his hand so he could turn her to face him, and he pecked her lips. "I have several ways I can uncoil the tension in your body. Make you feel as loose as jelly."

She sighed happily and simply gazed into his bluish-gray eyes. Bonnie couldn't put into words how happy she was that they were back to where they used to be. He was still the crude, animalistic Stefan—the one she fell in love with—with touches of the old Stefan she used to know thrown into the mix. He said things simply for shock value, yet he meant every word he said. And with just a look, or touch he could ignite her fire and she'd forget everything else around her.

Needless to say they had gotten on Damon's nerves the past few days.

Bonnie didn't want this connection to end. But soon she'd be heading off to Duke with Caroline, and he said he was coming with. All Bonnie could hope for was that they'd never lose their connection because it was one of the most stable relationships she's had even with all the chaos that followed her heels.

Bonnie kissed him again, smearing her berry flavored lip gloss over his mouth. "You make me feel like I'm in a constant dream slash porno, Stefan."

He chuckled and kissed the palm of her hand.

"And speaking of porno we have to finish ours tonight."

Bonnie blushed to the roots of her hair. Yeah, she couldn't explain how Stefan talked her into it, but in her defense when he brought it up, he was having a discussion with her other set of lips, and at that point she was liable to agree to shave her head.

Stefan smirked at her blush. "Don't try to weasel your way out of it, Bennett."

"I still don't understand how in the time span of ten months, you've turned me into a stripper and now a porn star. There is something seriously wrong with this picture."

"Hey this goes both ways," he waved his finger between the two of them. "Yet this is how you keep things interesting. By constantly being unpredictable. And I think everyone should watch themselves do it once on film, you know to improve on performance technique."

Bonnie snickered. In her estimation there was nothing wrong with Stefan's technique. There were times Bonnie still felt like a novice just for the simple fact she could put on one hand how many people she had been with. Her experience was not extensive, yet with Stefan's coaching and assistance, she would rate herself as a goddess divine in training.

"I have to give you props for that idea of using the beam," Stefan's compliment interrupted her reverie.

"Oh right," they bumped fists. "Well, I got inspired when I watched you doing your pull ups using the beam in your room, and I thought man, that would be an interesting sex position, with me straddled on you while you pull yourself up and down."

"Ooh, stop you're making my jeans tight," Stefan said. "Something told me you liked to experiment and say you've tried something at least once. And you should do all of your experimenting with me and not when you get to college."

"Speaking of college…I'll be living with five hundred chicks, how do you plan to sneak into my room?"

Stefan strummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "I'm sure I can think of something. But I plan to find a place in the city so you and a few of your girlfriends can come over and make…"

Bonnie swatted his chest. "Don't even finish that sentence, Salvatore."

They chuckled.

Stefan reached over and cupped her cheek. "Are you ready to experience the best four years of your life? Or at least that's the line they try to sell in college brochures."

Bonnie nodded her head. "Only if you're right there with me."

"Where else would I be?"

"Good answer."

He kissed her one more time. "I thought you'd like that."

The bell for the first period dismissal rang and Bonnie took that as her cue to climb out of the car. She waited for Stefan to join her and they interlocked their fingers as they made their way across campus.

"And don't think that because you're going to Duke and I'll be doing whatever I'll be doing, that I won't walk you to class. The last thing I want is some asshole frat boy pre-med wannabe chasing after my sweat pea's panties. That's my job."

Bonnie pursed her lips and flicked her eyes up at her boyfriend. "I don't know. You could use some healthy competition. And don't think I'm going to tolerate some bubbly sorority chick trying to get you to sign up to pose in their calendar. I would _hate _to have to add hair removal to someone's shampoo."

Stefan chuckled. "To hear us talk we're the most good-looking psychotic couple on the earth. And I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Awww," Bonnie gushed and kissed his cheek.

* * *

**Mystic Grill**

He was due to be at the community center in an hour to finalize the senior showcase, but a shot of whiskey called his name and Alaric went to go answer it.

This was probably a bad time to stop and get tanked before attending a school function, but Alaric was simply preparing himself for what may turn out to be either a night full of making historical memories—for the students at least—or it could become disastrous at some point like all things associated with functions in Mystic Falls.

He tossed back his drink and after the burn of it dissipated he popped a Halls cough drop in his mouth to mask the smell of whiskey on his breath. It was a horrible combination but he didn't care, he had a reputation to uphold.

Something told Ric to look over his shoulder and when he did he saw Damon meander his way across the restaurant to the bar. Ric snorted as he realized they were both dressed in black suits with black shirts—this would probably make their first time dressing like twins.

"Who died, Ric?" Damon asked the second he slid on the stool next to the alcoholic history teacher and flagged down the bartender.

"What's left of my sanity," the hunter mumbled and scrubbed a hand across his face, frowning when his perpetual five o'clock shadow scratched his palm. He hadn't bothered to shave.

Damon stared at his only male friend strangely. Ric had made improvements in cutting back on his drinking but from the looks of things he had fallen off the sobriety wagon. Anyone else would have asked Ric question after question to find out what was going on, but Damon wasn't that type of person, and Ric's shit was his shit.

It didn't escape Alaric that Damon didn't try to pry his nose in his business. "You have nothing to say?"

Damon hunched a shoulder and consumed his own drink when it was slapped in front of him. "What do you want me to say, Ric? You're a grown man. If something is bothering you, _sugar_, you should be able to come to your favorite bro and say 'hey man, I need to talk'. I'm not a dentist so I'm not gonna pull your teeth to get anything out of you."

There was silence for a minute before Ric chuckled and wiped his lips clean with a paper napkin. "Sorry, I guess it's that time of the month."

"Seriously, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, Damon. All I wanted for these kids was to get out of this town and make something of themselves. You know, have a future. And now that it's here…I kind of don't want them to leave."

Damon could commiserate with that. With the passing of each generation he couldn't help but be reminded of the fact he couldn't move forward—not the way they could.

"And that sounds incredibly…selfish when I hear myself say it out loud," Alaric finished.

Damon tapped Ric's empty shot glass with his own. "Hey, man it's only human," he smirked derisively. "And I completely understand. You're the teacher so you'll be stuck in this po-dunk town until your hair turns gray and your dick stops working. You'll watch your students grow up and move on, yet you'll always be here. And it doesn't seem fair. But you knew what you were getting yourself into."

_Damon_, Alaric thought, _so sensitive_. But the vampire had a point. If he could deal being body snatched by a thousand year old vampire, having his neck broken, being impaled by a werewolf, and countless other atrocities, why was it so difficult for him to say goodbye to five specific kids he had become a guardian to?

"You're right, Damon."

"I usually am."

"Doesn't make it any less hard, though." He stared at Damon for a moment. "So once Bonnie goes off to Duke, and Stefan follows her, what are you going to do?"

Damon vaguely waved his hands around. "I'll be doing this right here. Trying to get drunk in the middle of the day. I'm happy. Why change it?"

Alaric snorted and then checked the time. "I gotta run." He clapped Damon on the shoulder. "I guess I'll see you there."

Damon nodded. " With bells on."

As Alaric made his way out of the restaurant he couldn't help but feel just a tad bit better he wouldn't be the only loser left in town. He'd have company in the form of Damon Salvatore. God, help him.

* * *

**Mystic Falls Community Center**

Caroline, being the awesome take charge planner that she was had reserved a table for the crew near the front of the stage so their view wouldn't be blocked by overzealous parents with no home training. As she looked around the beautifully decorated center, she spotted her mom sitting next to her BFF, Mayor Lockwood as the two more than likely talked council business, and their children's achievements.

Liz felt her daughter's eyes on her, so when she looked up she wasn't surprised to see her statuesque daughter—outfitted in a beautiful silver dress—staring right at her. Their relationship had grown from almost non-existent to occasional confidantes after Liz was able to realize that just because her daughter was a vampire, didn't make her any different from the Caroline she raised. She would miss her terribly once she moved to North Carolina. And to think she could have missed this moment if her daughter had died in the hospital had it not been vampire blood that saved her life.

Dragging her gaze away from her mom, Caroline searched the crowd. She spotted Elena entering the center with Alaric in tow. Ric looked dapper in his all black ensemble and when he was in reaching distance she could still detect the whiskey on his breath.

"You look amazing, Caroline," Alaric said.

She pirouetted for him. "Don't I know it."

Elena and Caroline then embraced, the vampire nodding her head in approval with Elena's sapphire chiffon dress.

Tonight wasn't a super formal event, but most people chose to dress up anyways for the very last photo-op before graduation which was in three weeks.

"Where is everyone?" Elena asked with a touch of nervousness in her voice. Caroline had warned her in advance that both Salvatore's would be sitting at their table, along with Matt who would be acting as the buffer. It should make for an interesting night.

"Bonnie just sent me a text. She's already here but she's in the back warming up because she's singing."

"Right, I forgot about that."

"And I haven't seen Damon, Stefan, or Matt. Oh, Matt's here and he brought Dana with him," Caroline elbowed Elena. The girls looking knowingly at one another.

The two girls greeted Matt and Dana and while this took place the Salvatore boys slinked up to the table and took their seats.

"Where's Bonnie?" Stefan asked Caroline.

"I don't know. She was in the back warming up but she should have been out by now."

The house lights dimmed, conversations went from roaring to a quiet energized murmuring. The sound of a whistle blaring through the air silenced the crowd and before anyone could figure out what was going on, the marching band entered the center playing "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. Singers were on stage adding words to the music.

Then out of nowhere one couple hopped up from a table and started swing dancing followed by another, and it was then Caroline realized it was a mob flash dance.

Bonnie, who didn't tell anyone she would be one of the dancers, danced her way over to the table filled with her friends.

"Bonnie!" she heard them shout her name before unfortunately she was pulled away by her partner. As the song drew to a close, the dancers ran to the various exits to change either back into their formal wear or into their next performing outfit. The principal walked across the stage to the microphone among a mix of hand claps and cheers.

"Thank you everyone for coming out to Mystic Falls' High School Senior Night 2012!" There was raucous applause coming mostly from the students. "We have a wonderful program set up for you tonight. There will be a dramatization from our Theater Club, along with musical performances by some of our best and brightest, speeches, and of course the distribution of scholarship awards." More applause. "And as tradition allows, there will be a fireworks display to follow promptly after tonight's program. Now, join me in welcoming our salutatorian Jesse Price who will be reciting our school motto."

At that Damon plugged his iPod into his ears and tuned the rest of the program out until it was time for Bonnie to perform.

Forty minutes into the show the emcee for the night returned to the stage. "Please help me in welcoming Ms. Bonnie Bennett, Ms. Janna Allentown, and Ms. Ashley Williams to the stage."

Bonnie walked across the stage wearing a vintage Chanel dress. Everyone seated at table number 5 rose to their feet and made so much noise that Bonnie felt they were two seconds from being escorted out by security. She winked at Stefan and stood behind the lead microphone.

The track started. It was 'Emotions' by Destiny's Child.

_It's over and done  
But the heartache lives on inside  
And who's the one you're clinging to  
Instead of me tonight?_

_And where are you now, now that I need you?  
Tears on my pillow wherever you go  
I'll cry me a river that leads to your ocean  
You'll never see me fall apart_

_In the words of a broken heart  
It's just emotion taking me over_  
_Caught up in sorrow  
Lost in the song  
But if you don't come back  
Come home to me, darling  
Don't you know there's nobody left in this world to hold me tight?  
Don't you know there's nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight  
Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight_

The girls removed their microphones from the stands and walked toward the steps leading out into the crowd in an arrowhead formation with Bonnie front and center.

_I'm there at your side,  
I'm part of all the things you are  
But you've got a part of someone else  
You've got to find your shining star_

_And where are you now, now that I need you?  
Tears on my pillow wherever you go  
I'll cry me a river that leads to your ocean  
You'll never see me fall apart_

_In the words of a broken heart  
It's just emotion taking me over  
Caught up in sorrow  
Lost in the song  
But if you don't come back  
Come home to me, darling  
Don't you know there's nobody left in this world to hold me tight?  
Don't you know there's nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight  
Goodnight_

Ashley stepped forward and sang her small solo part.

_And where are you now, now that I need you?  
Tears on my pillow wherever you go  
I'll cry me a river that leads to your ocean  
You'll never see me fall apart_

Bonnie joined her before resuming the lead part with Janna and Ashley harmonizing in the background. It was a little difficult to get through because part of the song reminded her of her relationship with the school and the town as a whole, but whenever she swept her eyes past Stefan it took her back to when she miscarried, and when they were apart. She was calling on everything that made her strong to finish out the song without crying or her voice cracking.

_In the words of a broken heart  
It's just emotion taking me over  
Caught up in sorrow  
Lost in the song  
But if you don't come back  
Come home to me, darling  
Don't you know there's nobody left in this world to hold me tight?  
Don't you know there's nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight  
Goodnight, goodnight_

The trio received a standing ovation. There wasn't a dry eye in the entire place. Well…except for Damon's.

The principal, who discreetly tried to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye, came out on stage and confiscated Janna's microphone.

"Beautiful ladies, but I need Bonnie and Ashley to remain on stage, thank you Janna. And could the other finalists for the American Musical Prodigy scholarship hopefuls please report to the stage."

Seven other students rose from their seats and wove their way through tables and climbed on stage. Bonnie's knees began to knock and she wanted to sit down and have the next five minutes pass her by. She wasn't sure she'd be gracious enough to handle rejection, especially in a crowded room. She wanted to win so bad she could taste it.

Once all the students had assembled, the principal began speaking again. "The young men and women you see before you have worked tirelessly this past year, and years before to meet all the requirements for this prestigious award."

"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick," Caroline bit her nails. She could commiserate with Bonnie's anxiety.

"This scholarship is only offered to twenty, let me repeat that again, twenty men and woman across the nation. Not in Mystic Falls, not in Virginia, not in the southeast, but the nation. And according to our contacts we are filling the last spot. Whoever is the recipient, he or she will be receiving a ten thousand dollar scholarship along with the chance to study abroad this summer in Switzerland at one of the greatest musical houses in Europe."

The crowd oohed, awed, and clapped.

"I'm sure these competitive men and women behind me are eager to find out who the winner is so without further ado…the recipient of the American Musical Prodigy scholarship goes to…." The principal opened the envelope, and paused dramatically. "Bonnie Bennett!"

Bonnie stopped feeling her legs. It may have been the other people on stage that held her up, she wasn't sure but she could feel nothing below the waist. When she looked out into the cheering crowd, she saw Stefan leaping in the air jumping a little higher than a _normal _person should be able to jump. She could vaguely hear him say, "That's my girl" over and over again.

Hands were pushing her up to the principal and the smiling overweight man who was a representative from the decision board holding one of those large checks she's seen people hold after wining the lottery.

Her name was spelled in huge letters where it read: pay to and her eyes ballooned once they landed on the amount and all the zeros that proceeded after the number one.

She felt as if she had won the Miss America pageant. Someone give her a tiara and a sash.

Tears poured down from her eyes as she, with shaky hands, received her check, hugged the principal and posed for a quick picture. Bonnie said thank you so many times she began to think that's all she'd be able to say for the next three days, because all other words escaped her.

Stefan was waiting for her as she descended the steps. The minute she was in reach, he grabbed her up, twirled her around and walked her back to the table without letting her go.

Finally that's when she screamed, "I can't believe it!" Bonnie locked eyes with everyone at the table. Caroline and Elena swamped her into their clingy arms. Damon's approach was more subtle as he kissed her cheek and whispered congratulations in her ear.

Because they were making so much noise, several people from surrounding tables had to shush them and point back up to the stage where they were now showing a montage of the graduating class of 2012.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Bonnie could do nothing but stare at the check, and the booklet which contained all the information she'd need pertaining to studying abroad in Switzerland.

Stefan placed his chin on her shoulder. "Looks like I'm going to have to dig around for my passport."

Bonnie nodded her head. "Yeah, oh shoot I still haven't filled out the paperwork for mine. I gotta do that this weekend."

"No, need I already took care of that for you," Caroline announced proudly.

Bonnie was astounded. "Really?"

Elena leaned forward. "Actually we both did."

"I wasn't going to take full credit for planning ahead," Caroline argued. "But yeah, Elena was the one who brought it up and well I decided to just take care of it."

"Thank you, guys so much."

"Bonnie?"

The girl in question froze at hearing her father's voice. She craned her head over her shoulder and looked up at her father standing there with a large bouquet of flowers in his hands. She slowly rose from the table and embraced her dad.

"Congratulations, baby."

"I'm glad you made it."

"I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I didn't make it. I can't believe what a brilliant daughter I have, and you'll be heading off to Switzerland and then school…I should have been there for all your achievements, Bonnie."

She wasn't going to argue the point because it went without saying. Instead she wiped his tears away and invited him to squeeze in at their table.

Just as Bonnie was about to retake her seat, a figure in her peripheral vision caught her attention. She looked towards it, blinked and it was gone, but there was no mistaking that what she had seen had been very much real.

"Excuse me, I'll be back," Bonnie said and walked through the crowd, through the corridor and ended up outside where she came to a sudden stop.

Standing with his arms folded and a moody expression on his face, Bonnie took a few steps towards the man she had spent too much time in her past trying to find a way to kill.

"Klaus…_why_ are you here?"

"That is a smashing question, love, and I find it admirable that you'd come out here and face me alone. Especially after the trickery you pulled."

"And I find it astonishing that you'd show your face here, period. You can't kill me or anyone else I care about, Klaus. Now just spit it out why you're here."

The moodiness vanished from his face and he pulled his blood red lips into a jovial smile. She always figured Klaus was at his most dangerous when he was charming.

"I'm here to offer my congratulations. After your recent victory it's greatly deserved. As for the reason why I'm here…I wanted to offer you an official truce," he grinned until his dimples popped up.

Bonnie folded her arms over her chest. "Now you want peace."

He looked affronted. "I've always wanted peace but it seems you and your rag-a-muffin friends only responded to violence leaving me no choice but to act accordingly." He entered her personal space and Bonnie had to steel her spine not to recoil from him. "We're not all that different, Bonnie. If someone placed a curse on you preventing you from becoming who you really are, are you telling me you wouldn't go to any lengths to break it?"

"Not if it meant hurting people in the process. But you have your family, your father is dead, so I don't understand why you would take the time out of your busy schedule to come here and ask about a truce."

"Maybe I just wanted to see your face for the final time…for my brother's sake."

"Yeah, don't bring him up to me," Bonnie snapped impatiently.

Klaus chuckled. "He is sorry that he had to use deception, but from the looks of things…his compulsion needs some work. How is Stefan by the way?"

At that, Bonnie's eyes narrowed. "That's why you're here? He sent you on an errand. Who would have thought that someone would have big bag Klaus by the balls and order him around like a little bitch," she giggled.

He glared at her. Yeah, Raphael had threatened to clean out his lot of hybrids if he didn't haul his ass to Mystic Falls to check on the status of Bonnie and Stefan's relationship. If it took another millennium, Klaus would find a way to un-bind their lives, and pay his twin back.

"You are about to embark on the world, Bonnie, a world where you will see beautiful things, where you can become great. My offer still stands. No one can ever appreciate a talented, beautiful woman like I can."

"And my answer is still the same…hell no!"

Klaus could hear the crowd from inside beginning to make their way towards the exit. It wouldn't be long before the rest of Bonnie's squadron surrounded her.

He took a step back. "Congratulations again…and don't get too comfortable with life, my love, you never know when I might pop back up again."

He vanished at the same time Stefan spilled through the door searching for her. "Bonnie? Babe what are you doing?"

She turned around and smiled up at him. "Just saying goodbye to a long, bad history."

The couple joined hands and headed across the street to the square where people began to spread out blankets to enjoy the fireworks.

Bonnie slipped her shoes off and crawled on the blanket the moment it was spread out, and used Stefan's chest for a pillow.

Neon lights began to burst across the sky and the couple watched the action for a few minutes before looking at one another.

"I can't believe it's almost over," Bonnie said.

"And I can't believe it's taken me a hundred and sixty-two years to finish high school."

Bonnie giggled and wiggled closer. "That's not something I would tell a lot of people."

He kissed the crown of her head. "Bonnie?"

"Yeah?" she looked back up at him.

"I want to ask you something."

She waited for him to ask it.

Stefan thought for a moment and then changed his mind. "You're my girl forever, right?"

Bonnie leaned up on her elbow and traced his lips with her index finger. "Forever is a long time, Stefan. Tack on ten more years and then we're talking."

He grinned and cupped the back of her head the moment Bonnie descended and pressed her lips against his. Tonight was a good night.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thank you for tuning in. Love you!**


	33. Class of 2012

**A/N: Only two chapters are left and then this baby will be over. Aww. Here is the latest! Enjoy!**

****Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

The trees swayed with a gentle lull in the background; so far that was the only disturbance in the air. Bonnie briefly looked up at the pale blue sky before bringing her attention back to the sullen serenity of the cemetery she was walking through. She didn't dress for the occasion in complimentary black, but in her favorite pair of skinny jeans, a jewel encrusted shirt, and lace up boots searching for the only headstone that really mattered to her.

She found where Sheila Bennett had been laid to rest, felt a corresponding chill wash over her skin as she stared down at the light blue marble headstone that she had picked out for her grandmother. Bonnie kneeled down and laid the bouquet of flowers on the headstone, and brushed away dead leaves and twigs.

Her throat began to clog with repressed memories and emotions because this was the first time in a _long_ time since she visited her grandmother.

Without warning a crystal tear slid down her caramel cheek and Bonnie wasn't vain enough to wipe it away. She smiled sadly for a moment, twiddled with her fingers not really sure where she should start or what she should say.

"Hi Grams," she felt was an appropriate beginning but failed to convey how somber she was on the inside. "I'm sorry I don't come to visit as often as I should, but it should come as no surprise why I've been away for so long."

Bonnie sat down on the ground, played with the grass that was overgrowing. She wondered when the last time the grass had been mowed because as she quickly looked around, you'd think Mystic Falls couldn't hire a reliable groundskeeper from the way things appeared.

"The last time we saw each other…we had to work together to close the door to the other side, and as a result…I lost you again. But I wouldn't trade those few minutes for anything in the world." More tears slid down her cheeks and finally she cracked a tiny smile. "And…in a few hours I'll be graduating. Two weeks after that I'll be heading off to another country…and my life will never be the same again.

"I didn't come here to say goodbye. I could never say goodbye to you, but I…I want to know if you're okay with who I've decided to be with."

She paused wondering if she'd hear her grandmother's voice beyond the grave. There was nothing but silence of course.

Bonnie continued. "I'm sure that being with a vampire is the last thing you'd want for me but Stefan loves me…he _really_ loves me and he can protect me. You've drilled it into my head that a man isn't worth keeping around if he's not going to make your safety his number one priority. And trust me…he goes a little overboard sometimes, but…you know…there hasn't been anyone in my life like him. So I'm here to ask for your blessing."

Again she waited. The warm spring wind blew across her cheek, but she was met with silence.

Bonnie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She craned her neck and looked heavenward. "I know it's my decision…my future…and I feel I'm making the best decision for my life. I don't know where things will go with Stefan, but…" she looked down at Grams' headstone and traced the engraved letters with her finger. "I'll be okay. I am okay. And that's what's most important."

Leaves blew across the grass and a cardinal flew out of nowhere and landed on the adjacent headstone. It looked at Bonnie as if it knew her, chirped and disappeared again. She smiled.

"I guess I got your blessing," she chuckled before touching her fingers to her puckered mouth, and placed those same fingers on Sheila's name as a final farewell.

She rose to her feet and brushed any dirt and grass off her backside. "I love you, Grams. You'll always be apart of me."

Bonnie took one step backwards, dried her tears with the back of her hands and began to walk away.

She walked perhaps twenty yards away from her Grams when she stopped suddenly and then changed direction.

She headed over to where the Gilberts were buried.

In less than two minutes she stood before Elena's adoptive parents but they weren't the reason she came over here.

Her eyes shifted to the right and saw two unmarked plots. She was also a little startled that the red roses Elena left behind on the graves were still there—dried up and dead of course—but they were there.

Jenna had been buried next to Miranda Gilbert. Again she dropped to her haunches and placed a hand over Jenna's unmarked grave.

"Hey Jen," she said softly. "We all worked so hard to make sure your death wouldn't be in vain. And we never should have kept the truth from you…you didn't deserve this. I wish I could tell you that things between Elena and I are still the same, but so much shit happened and now everything's changed. We're still friends…we'll always be friends and look out for each other, but it won't ever be like the way it used to be. I'm so sorry."

Bonnie didn't know what else to say, but offered another smile.

And just as she was preparing to stand up, a hand shot out of the earth and grabbed her.

"AHHHHHH!"

Bonnie's eyes flew open and crashed into a pair of curious bluish-gray orbs. "Stefan?" she asked despite the roaring of her heart.

A corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. "The one and only. From the sound of your racing heart either you were dreaming of doing ungodly things to me or…you just had a nightmare."

Bonnie settled next to him and he wrapped her tightly in his arms. "I can't say it was a nightmare. Everything started off well enough and went downhill from there."

"What happened?"

"I dreamt I went to go visit Grams before graduation asking for her blessing, and once I got it, I decided to visit Jenna." Bonnie stared up at Stefan. There was very little change on his face, but she could tell he was listening intently. "The roses Elena laid on hers and John's graves were still there—dead of course—and I said my final goodbye to her and as I was leaving…her hand shot out and grabbed me."

Stefan blinked and his eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Do you think that's just a typical bad dream or…"

It didn't take a genius to catch on to his implication. Yet Bonnie had no idea if it could be a vision. She hoped not. Bonnie shook her head.

"I don't know. No matter what we went through Jenna suffered the most," Bonnie went on to say. "She didn't deserve to be apart of Klaus' scheme and because we all lied to her for so long…she's gone now and there's not anything we can do about it."

Stefan's face was extremely close to hers, so close she could feel his eyelashes against her cheek whenever he blinked.

"Maybe the dream was just a byproduct of your guilty conscious. You and I and everyone else will be leaving…that's bound to affect you. You've lived here your whole life."

"Yeah," Bonnie sullenly agreed.

"But you can't let it spoil your day. In five hours you will officially be liberated. Then we'll be living together in Switzerland…"

She couldn't keep the grin from appearing on her face.

He kissed her cheek. "Being free from the monsters that hide under beds and closets. Now I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"Have you finished packing?" Stefan looked around Bonnie's room and noticed it looked just the way it did on any given day.

Guilt flooded up her neck. "See, here's the thing," she began tentatively. "I figured that packing would make everything more real and so I've been procrastinating."

"Uh-hun," disapproval was heavy in Stefan's tone. "Please don't make me call Caroline to come over here and whip your ass into shape. You know that girl when motivated by a project can be worse than a Marine drill sergeant."

"Don't remind me," Stefan's boo replied dryly. "She's going to be my roommate at Duke. Prayerfully we'll still remain friends."

"You will be." Stefan's fingers began to do some walking along the center of her body and she squirmed against him.

Bonnie felt as if she were already pressing her luck considering she was in a house full of people. Her father's side of the family had come through and showed up the other night in droves. There were currently ten people residing in the Bennett household from aunties, to cousins, to uncles. And since Bonnie was the star of the show, the main attraction, she didn't have to give up her bedroom to make accommodations for her family.

Stefan had snuck in via her window and stayed the night. Unfortunately no funny business was allowed so he had to contend himself with just sleeping next to her.

Right now there was a _very _persistent throb taking place between his legs, so he reached for Bonnie's hand and slipped it inside his boxers.

Bonnie expertly wrapped her tiny hand around his engorged member and began to stroke him. Stefan rolled on his back while his eyes rolled into the back of his head. She took advantage in the change in position and began to kiss, nip, and lick his neck just the way he liked it.

Knock. Knock.

"Fuck," he quietly exclaimed.

"Crud," Bonnie said and released Stefan who glared up at the ceiling and jammed the heel of his hand into his eye socket until he saw stars.

Bonnie twisted away but made no moves to get out of bed. "Yes!"

"Hey, baby its Aunt Yolanda just checking to make sure you're up. It's your big day!" her father's middle sister squealed.

Bonnie slammed her face into her pillow and jolted when she felt Stefan's thumb get missing in her panties. She nearly bit through her lip.

"T-thanks, Auntie. I-I-I be down in a minute."

"Take your time, sweetie. We're just getting up. What do you want for breakfast?"

"You're aunt talks too much," Stefan whispered in her ear, and added another finger. Bonnie clenched him. He smiled. "And you're not talking loud enough," he began to circle that tiny bundle of nerves with his index finger.

Bonnie's eyes crossed.

"Ah…" _think Bonnie so she can go away_. "Ah…just a bagel!"

"A bagel? Boo, you need more than that. I know what I'll make you. How does walnut pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage sound?"

"I think I'll get started on _my _breakfast," Stefan replaced his hand with his tongue.

"Ummmm," Bonnie moaned.

"I knew you'd like that. I'll call you when it's ready."

Stefan could hear Aunt Yolanda's retreating footsteps which made his ministrations more vigorous until Bonnie put his head in a death grip between her legs, nearly suffocating him until finally she exploded all over his face.

He popped his head up and winked at her. "That was delicious, but I'm far from being stuffed."

* * *

Mystic Falls was a town of tradition. There were traditional balls held almost every other week during the summer. Fundraisers that only seemed to make the same three families even more ludicrously rich. And when it came to the big events such as homecoming, championship games, and graduations it was all steeped in tradition.

Graduation was attended by everyone in town that it almost seemed mandatory whether you knew one of the graduating seniors or not. Everything was about solidarity and uniformity so not to attend one of these public "viewings" you were asking to be ostracized by the community.

Yet the tradition that seniors from Mystic Falls High adopted was assembling at The Grill for brunch with family and friends before heading over to the football field in spanking new caps and gowns while trying not to melt under the relenting June sun.

Seated outside in the patio area was the Scooby-Doo gang. Bonnie looked around at all her friends beginning clockwise, Caroline, Matt, Stefan, herself, and Elena. It felt more than surreal to be here with her core group of friends and her boyfriend of course. Bonnie wished she and her human friends were as tight as they were during freshman year. Well, Caroline and Matt were acquaintances but they were far from friendly with one another back then, but they were in a good place now and had accomplished what others who dated, screwed a couple hundred times and broke up had failed to do: become good friends.

Talk had centered on the best moments that happened during their tenure in high school, to what they hoped their futures would be, but the highlight was of course remembering embarrassing moments.

The winners of most embarrassing moment went to Matt and Caroline. Caroline had come on her period in the swimming pool during gym. And Matt caught an erection while doing a sex-ed presentation—his defense being the girl he had a raging crush on wore a short skirt that day and sat with her legs open on the front row.

Falling off the top of the pyramid during a regional game and walking out of the ladies room with her skirt tucked into her pantyhose were not strong enough candidates for such a prestigious honor. Sorry Bonnie and Elena.

"I can't believe its over," Matt said feeling nostalgic all of a sudden. "We waited for four years to say we're seniors and now that it's here…"

Caroline reached over and rubbed his back while Matt faked crocodile tears. He stood up from the seat, did a fist pump, and threw up both middle fingers. "Kiss my lily white ass MFH! It was not a pleasure to know you."

Everyone at the table howled with laughter.

Elena checked the time on her cell phone. She had been quiet most of the morning and actually had every intention of skipping the traditional brunch at Mystic Grill, but it was at Alaric's insistence that she go. Her reason for wanting to dodge the event…she didn't want to say goodbye to her friends. It was hard being around everyone knowing that getting together like this wouldn't happen very often. She'd only see everyone during breaks and holidays, but Elena reasoned it was a part of growing up.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have to be at the field in half an hour to line up," she said.

Everyone grew quiet again.

Caroline picked up her glass and held it up. "A toast before we go," she said and waited for everyone else to raise their glass in the air. "To the end of a historic era with the craziest, silliest, balls of steel people I've ever met, and to the beginning of unshakeable bonds of friendship and love. Salute."

"Salute!"

"And might I tack on," Bonnie added, "may we never forget those who aren't here with us who should be graduating. May they live on in our hearts and in our memories."

This time around everyone said salute a little quieter.

Drinks consumed, the others rose from the table and began heading to their prospective cars. Elena grabbed Bonnie gently by the elbow.

"Can I talk to you?" Elena asked.

Bonnie nodded her head and then looked at Stefan.

"I'll be at the car," he said and walked away.

The two old friends looked at one another. "Things between us isn't the way it used to be," Elena began, "and I feel bad about that because I held on to my anger and hurt for so long. But seeing you and Stefan together…I know he's made the right choice for him. I'm so sorry, Bonnie that I wasn't the friend to you that you deserved. I don't want to lose you when you go off to Duke."

Bonnie reached over and hugged Elena who clutched her tightly. "You never lost me, Elena. I've always been right there," she pulled away. "But sometimes friends no matter how close they are can drift apart. And I can't apologize enough for keeping the truth about me and Stefan from you for so long."

"That's water under the bridge," Elena was quick to interrupt. "After everything that's happened…you are one of the few best parts of my life that's left."

Bonnie felt her nose tingle. Her makeup was going to be ruined no thanks to Elena's heartfelt words.

"We're sisters," Bonnie said vehemently. "And nothing can separate blood. I love you, E."

Elena smiled and hugged Bonnie again. "I love you, B."

The girls sniffled, laughed, and began trying to fix the others running mascara. "We're just a bunch of babies," Elena giggled as they began heading towards the parking lot, her arm wrapped around Bonnie's waist.

"Yeah," Bonnie nodded in agreement, "so that makes us entitled to an ugly cry every now and then."

Now it was off to graduation.

* * *

Black and red balloons decorated the stage, along with the school banner, and large green plants that was donated by the greenhouse.

The girls donned in red cap and gowns whereas the boys graduation livery was in black, made an interesting tableau on the football field as they all anxiously waited to be called on stage to receive their diplomas. The 2012 graduating class of Mystic Falls High ran deep, their largest class yet at hundred and twenty students.

To pass the time between lengthy, boring speeches from the mayor, the principal, and the valedictorian, people either played games on their cell phones which had been prohibited, or bounced around the world's largest beach ball, or shot silly spray into the air.

Finally it was time for the graduates to line up. Out of her friends, Bonnie would be the first to cross the stage.

Two jumbo trons had also been ordered for the big occasion so that every parent and family member of the corresponding graduating student could get a close up of their son or daughter's face as he or she gracefully walked across the stage.

Bonnie had to stop nibbling on her lip as she ascended the stairs and waited to be called. When she was up, a smile a politician would be proud of erupted on Bonnie's face, and she began shaking hands before the emcee had finished saying her entire name.

"Bonnie Isis Bennett," she cringed on the inside because she never told Stefan what her middle name was. And she cringed again after shaking the superintendent's hand. His palm was profusely sweaty.

Several people from the student body stood up and shouted, and Bonnie's cheering section in the stands, probably one of the largest made enough noise that it reverberated around the entire field.

Two seconds that's all it seemed to take to make her way from one end of the stage, get the casing for her diploma and walk down the steps and back on the grass. It was over. It was done. She was a high school graduate. Let the good times roll.

Matt was next who animatedly shook hands with everyone and posed as if he just won the Heisman with the superintendent before bouncing off the stage. Caroline beamed like a ray of sunshine, buzzing with energy as she took her time properly thanking everyone, and even going so far as to hug Mayor Lockwood who looked thoroughly surprised by the gesture.

Elena accepted her diploma with the grace and style of a pageant girl. Jeremy and Alaric were her biggest crowd supporters.

And when it came time for Stefan to grace the stage, Damon woke up from the small nap he took in between. He had a blow horn ready to embarrass the mess out of his little brother.

"Stefan Salvatore," was announced and he made his way across, shaking hands, looking out into the crowd to wink at his girl who winked back, amidst jumping up and down like a loon.

He heard the blow of a horn and found Damon in the stands holding up a huge sign that read: STEFAN IS NOT GRADUATING…" he had to flip the sign over, "HIGH SCHOOL AS A VIRGIN."

Stefan growled and made I'm gonna gut you expressions at his brother. Bonnie glared at Damon and blushed when she saw her family lean over trying to read what was on the sign. The others laughed and shook their heads. Nothing surprised them anymore.

Once the final name was called, a euphoric roar went up in the air. Caps came off and took flight. Parents cheered and cried. It was the perfect way to end a dynasty.

The parents thundered down the stands and engulfed the field like locusts.

Stefan found Bonnie in the crowd. She was busy hugging Elena and staring at her diploma. Within seconds she felt his presence looked up, and ran over to him.

He caught her in his arms, spun her around, and kissed her.

"Do you have a middle name?" she asked.

"Yeah, I have two in fact but I'm not saying what they are. So Isis…that gives me all sorts of ideas," he grinned.

Bonnie swatted his chest. "You get nothing until you cough up those names."

Across the field, Caroline found herself in the circle of her mom, Aunt Lisa, her Uncle Vincent, and other family members who came from all over Virginia.

Liz caught sight of someone over her daughter's shoulder and leaned in to whisper. "Your dad is here."

Caroline spun around and came face-to-face with Bill Forbes. She walked over to him almost in slow motion.

"I'm surprised you're here. I thought I was dead to you."

Bill looked his usual self not repentant in the least. From behind his back he produced a bouquet of lilies, Caroline's favorite.

"I still think you can be saved…but you're my daughter. And…I love you."

Back to the other side of the field. Damon sauntered over to a group of girls like a creeper.

"Witchy…Doppelganger," he said. They turned around and looked at him. He smiled charmingly. "Congratulations, ladies."

"Thanks," they said in unison.

Damon held out his arms. "Hug?"

Elena and Bonnie looked at each other, shrugged, and hugged the elder Salvatore.

Bonnie looked up at him. "Party at my house. You coming?"

"Say no more because I'm already there."

* * *

The party was more of a cookout at the Bennett residence. From Bonnie's family to her friends and their family members there was wall-to-wall people. Bonnie and her girls had changed out of their graduation gear into more appropriate attire: halter dresses and sandals. Damon had offered his assistance to which he was promptly shut down.

Bonnie spent most of the time flexing between being hostess and one of the honorees of the event. Showing people where the bathrooms were. Getting drinks from the basement, making sure her uncles didn't burn the hamburgers, chicken, ribs, and hotdogs, and keeping her smaller cousins in line.

When she had a moment to catch her breath, she introduced her friends to her family, stole away with Stefan for a few minutes of privacy before losing herself in the flux again.

It felt good to have so many people gathered at her house at one time. And three of her five aunts were taking full advantage of all the hot older men Bonnie conveniently knew.

Alaric was pressed on the patio swing set between her two recently single aunts. Whatever they were saying to him, Alaric was beet red in the face. He caught her staring and motioned for a little help, but Bonnie was on duty, shrugged her shoulders, and threw a "you're on your own" look his way.

In the kitchen she saw that Damon was fairing no better, only it was her Aunt Vanessa who was cuddled up next to him sharing her secret ingredient in her pineapple upside down cake. Moreover, Damon being Damon soaked up the attention like a sponge.

"I think I may have found Mrs. Damon Salvatore," Bonnie overheard him saying. And Aunt Vanessa wasn't a bad looking woman. She had always reminded Bonnie of Dorothy Dandridge.

Her Aunt Vanessa did a sultry laugh and swatted at Damon. "Childe, please you're young enough I can still put you over my knee."

Bonnie smirked and walked away. If only she knew…

As she made her way into the living room, she caught one of her older male cousins flirting or at least attempting to flirt with both Caroline and Elena who were of course laughing at his feeble attempt to pick them up.

"See I plan to head up to New York in a little bit to start my music career, and I need a couple of fine young ladies to accompany me and star in my video."

Bonnie approached and threw her cousin a stern look. "Percy! What are you doing?" she shouted which made her cousin nearly jump clean out of his Ed Hardy jeans.

Elena and Caroline stared at one another quizzically. "Percy?" Caroline asked.

"I thought your name was Tyson?" Elena added.

Percy began to look nervous and then glowered at Bonnie. "Tyson is my stage name," he tried to play it off.

"Well, I'm going to call you by your government name, _Percy_…leave my friends alone. Your mother is looking for you." She wasn't but he didn't need to know that.

Percy slinked off feeling disgruntled.

"And I thought my family had no shame," Caroline was bemused.

One of Bonnie's uncle's came stomping through the house announcing. "Time to eat!"

Picnic tables had been assembled and all the graduating seniors were seated at the highest table of honor. Food was consumed, alcohol flowed, music played, and everyone generally had a really good time.

As the afternoon dissolved into early evening, Thomas Bennett approached his daughter, reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Dad," she said under her breath hoping to escape another tear-inducing speech.

Thomas wrapped his arm around his daughter and stared down into her beautiful green eyes, eyes that reminded him of his mother and ex-wife. He cleared his throat and called for everyone's attention.

"I just wanted to say real quick how extraordinarily proud I am of this girl right here, my only daughter. She's excelled in her studies and turned out to be a lot more talented than I could ever imagine, so…" he presented her with a small gift box. "This is my way of saying how much I love you, and how much I'm proud of you. Congratulations, baby."

The audience clapped as daughter and father hugged. Bonnie wiped away her tears and said her thanks before opening the box to reveal a single key.

She held it up and then slowly it dawned on her. "Dad! You didn't?" She started jumping up and down.

"He bought you a car!" one of Bonnie's smaller cousins said as everyone rose from their seats and stampeded to the driveway.

Her Prius had vanished from its spot and in its place was a Nissan 370Z. She squealed and ran to her new car. In seconds she was swarmed and comically Elena and Caroline had pushed their way to the front of the line, the both of them squeezed into the passenger seat and Bonnie took off down the street.

Stefan stood next to his brother, his arms out, palms facing the sky. "What the hell I'm her boyfriend."

Damon clapped him on the shoulder. "Chicks before dicks, my friend," he shook his head and got lost in the crowd again. Now, where had Aunt Vanessa gone off too?

As the night wound down, the seniors were getting antsy to get on the road to attend grad night at King's Dominion.

"We need to leave like now," Caroline was saying as she begun making her rounds to say goodbye to everyone.

Bonnie was in the kitchen collecting the garbage when Percy tapped her on the shoulder. "Someone's out back asking for you."

She frowned. "Who is it?"

Percy shrugged. "She didn't say."

_She? _Bonnie felt her heart quicken. Only one person came to mind that would come at the tail end of the night to see her on her graduation day. Bonnie slipped outside and saw a woman standing next to the barbeque grill yet her back was to Bonnie.

"Hello?"

Slowly the woman turned around and Bonnie felt her anxiety plummet just a moment before a goofy grin popped on her face.

"Lucy!"

"Hey cuz," Lucy replied nonchalantly. "So I heard you graduated high school. With honors. That's impressive."

Bonnie walked over to the statuesque woman and embraced her. She found herself being hurtled back in time to her junior year, more specifically the Masquerade Ball where she met Lucy for the first time and felt an instant connection to the strange, albeit beautiful woman.

"How did you find out about today?"

"I have my ways," Lucy said cryptically. "But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to say congratulations, baby girl."

"What have you been up to all this time?"

Lucy looked away as some type of shadow fell over her face before she looked at her smaller cousin.

"Trying to remain incognito," she smiled. "I heard what happened here last spring. I should have been around but I was out of the country, and only recently got back." She reached for Bonnie's hands and the witches sensed the others power. "If you need anything…here's my number. Call me."

Lucy slipped a folded piece of paper in Bonnie's hands. "I should go."

And there she was leaving again when Bonnie still had so many questions she desperately wanted answers to, but at least this time Lucy left a way to get in touch with her.

Bonnie sucked in a large breath, trying her best to remain strong. "Thank you for stopping by. You didn't have to, but I'm glad you did."

"Actually I was _told _to come here," Lucy admitted.

Bonnie frowned just a bit. "By whom?"

Lucy winked. "I think you know. And she wanted me to say…you've chosen well." The two women touched hands again before Lucy disappeared in the darkness.

The back door opened breaking Bonnie's attention. She found Stefan looking at her strangely.

"Everyone's ready to get on the road. You still want to go?"

At first she was confused by what he was asking and then remembered about King's Dominion. She nodded her head and strolled up to him, kissing his cheek.

"She approves," she said to Stefan who of course had no idea who Bonnie was talking about.

"Well good," he answered and entered the house behind his girlfriend.

* * *

**Hyatt Place Innsbrook **

It was four o'clock in the morning and the Hyatt Place had been taken over by rowdy, intoxicated recent high school graduates from all over Virginia. The hotel staff looked flustered and overwhelmed but maintained professionalism as they checked inebriated students into rooms their parents had graciously coughed up their MasterCard to pay for.

Stefan was flipping through cable channels trying to find something decent to watch while he waited for Bonnie to finish up in the bathroom.

When she emerged she was glowing and tingling in all the right places after taking a much needed shower. The day had been exhilarating and ending the night at an amusement park tipped her over the edge. She and her girlfriends had rode on every single rollercoaster—twice, gorged themselves on funnel cakes and cotton candy, and danced the night away. Her back and feet were sore, but she wouldn't have had it any other way.

She was toweling her hair dry as she stared at Stefan who was leaned against the plush pillows. Just as she was about to join him someone began to beat against the door.

Stefan rolled his eyes and actually hissed like a cat as he quickly bounded out of the bed and opened up the door.

"What?" he barked. It was Elena and Caroline.

Caroline ignored his curt tone and tried to look around him to see if she could spot Bonnie. "Where's Bonnie?"

"She's sleeping," he answered and attempted to close to the door in their faces. Yet Caroline pushed the door back open.

All day long those two girls had monopolized his Bonnie's time and all he wanted was just a few hours with her before they all piled into Matt's truck to head back to Mystic Falls.

Caroline compressed her lips into a hard line. "You forget I have bionic ears, dude, she ain't sleeping. Bonnie!" Caroline yelled which made Stefan scowl.

Elena jumped in. "We're going to the pool do you want to come!"

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear," Stefan reiterated. "Bonnie is tired. She's been up all day and I plan to put her to sleep. Goodnight…or I should say morning," and with that he slammed the door in their faces, and locked it.

He strolled through the sectioned off living room, hopped up on the bed, and patted the spot next to him.

Bonnie gave him that look to which he rolled his eyes, but she untied the knot in her robe and sauntered over to him as naked as the day she came into the world.

She pulled back the sheets. Stefan eagerly joined her.

"I am tired," she yawned for good measure. "I've been up for almost twenty-four hours straight."

"A little bit of my blood should give you the energy you need," he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Bonnie kissed him once and then flipped on her stomach. "Can you give me a massage, please?"

"It would be my pleasure."

Stefan got into position and began to work his hands along her warm flesh, tenderizing her shoulders and lower back. Half a minute later he heard snoring.

Stefan dropped his hands as his chin connected with his chest. Unbelievable. He kissed Bonnie's shoulder, and flopped on his side of the bed. He turned off the lights and then pulled Bonnie like she was a blanket on top of him.

She burrowed until she got comfortable and fell into a deep blissful sleep.

He chuckled and kissed the bridge of her nose. "I have just one more surprise for you."

Closing his eyes he went to sleep.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Thank you, kittens for reading. Love you!**


	34. My Love

**A/N: This chapter is filled, over brimming with fluff. You've been warned. **

**Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Caroline was the official master of ceremony. Armed with her iPhone she emailed an intense schedule that left very little time for being idle. Every moment for the next two weeks would be chronicled, photographed, and immortalized in personal photo albums and on Facebook. No one was excused; everyone was susceptible to the flash of her digital camera. And if wouldn't matter if you were caught on the toilet, sleeping with your mouth wide open, or falling down the stairs she was going to capture it on film. Everyone had been warned.

Stefan wasn't happy about it and only voiced his opinions to Bonnie. Damon didn't really care because he had been spending an inordinate amount of time talking and texting someone. A new love interest perhaps.

Therefore Bonnie was left to her crazy friend's devices.

The first week after graduation Caroline stole away with her two friends to the surrounding bluffs where they attempted to pitch a tent and survive the night camping. She had checked the weather reports and all was clear so there was no danger of high winds or heavy rain. The most trouble they could encounter were of course snakes, spiders, mosquitoes, and the occasional skunk. What they did not plan to encounter was a group of guys from a rival school picking that exact same weekend and spot to pitch their own tent.

Bonnie watched from her spot on the log as she nursed a beer while Caroline and Elena danced around the flames with two guys who were destined for Georgia Tech. In this instant she didn't mind being the third wheel because she was a taken woman. So it wasn't difficult for her to shoot down Greg, the beautiful linebacker with the light gray eyes although he stared at her moodily from across the campfire.

He must have gotten his second wind because he rose suddenly from the flatbed of his friend's truck and approached her. Inwardly Bonnie rolled her eyes and reached for cell phone suddenly needing to check her updates.

Too bad there was poor reception and her phone chose that precise moment to zonk out.

"Are you sure I can't interest you in one dance?" Greg said. "You're friends seem like they're having a pretty good time."

Bonnie stared up at him and tried to appear as apologetic as ever. He really did have amazing eyes and excellent bone structure; the kind male models would kill over and the kind girls would drool over. He was tall and broad shouldered and had a deep timbre of a voice that sounded as if he had just awakened from sleep.

"As much as I'd love to…I think I might have sprung my ankle earlier. It kinda hurts," even to Bonnie that excuse sounded lame.

Greg gracefully folded down to rest on his haunches near her feet. "I was a student athletic trainer during the off season. I can take a look at it."

And he was sweet to boot or was trying to cop a feel. Bonnie non-discreetly pulled her foot away and smiled sheepishly.

"I skipped my pedicure this week. Sasquatch has nothing on me. But thanks."

Greg's disarming smile faltered a little but he simply transitioned until he was perched on the log right beside Bonnie. He sat near enough to where their thighs touched. Bonnie scooted over a bit. She could have sworn she said she had a boyfriend when introductions were made.

Elena and Caroline were caught in some weird sandwich as they held their empty beer bottles up in tribute to whatever music was playing in the background. Bonnie watched as Greg's friends gave one another knowing looks as they pressed their groins up against the girls' backsides.

Bonnie sucked her teeth and suddenly wanted to fall into the tent and try to block out the noise of everyone else having fun.

"Have you been to the reflecting pools yet?" Greg asked when the silence extended uncomfortably.

"No, we're supposed to go in the morning," she replied.

"Ah, you gotta see it at night. If you twirl your finger in the water it lights up. What do you they call it again?"

"Phosphorescence."

"Right. We could slip away and be back before they notice," he grinned.

Now, Bonnie was simply tired of being too subtle. "Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy but I have a boyfriend and I'm not interested in dancing or going away with a complete stranger to go stick my finger in some water. Now if you want to sit here and watch everyone else have a good time, go right ahead. But you're wasting your time with me."

Greg shook his head, snorted, and picked at the label on his beer. "I don't think I've ever been rejected quite like that," he admitted.

Bonnie wanted to pat his shoulder and say it happens to the best of them, but didn't.

"Actually," Greg said suddenly. "I didn't even want to come."

Feeling her curiosity being piqued, Bonnie hitched a dark eyebrow in the air. "So why did you?"

Greg looked up towards his friends but then a faraway look came into his eyes.

"Doesn't matter," Greg said forlornly. "I just broke up with my girlfriend. She told me that she's tired of me putting her on the back burner for some reason or another. So I gave her, her walking papers."

Yeah, Bonnie was sure that's _exactly _how it happened.

This time she didn't hesitate to pat him on the shoulder. She expected Greg to recoil from her touch but he didn't.

"I'm sorry if I've come off as a jerk tonight."

"It's okay. We all walk around wearing one mask or another," she smiled. "Sometimes you just need to have the courage to take it off."

Greg put the bottle to his lips and tipped it up guzzling the liquid as if his life depended on it. "So how long have you been with your guy?"

Having an opportunity to talk about Stefan put an instant smile on Bonnie's face. Greg had to blink against her sudden glow.

"We've been together for almost a year. It hasn't been easy but it's been the best year of my life, and I feel really blessed to be with him."

"You sound serious about him. And he's only eighteen, too?"

Not exactly but for the purpose of this conversation, "Yes," Bonnie said. "But he has an old soul."

Greg made a noise in the back of his throat. "Of course my bros would leave me to try to pick up the girl that's taken."

Bonnie clinked her beer bottle with his. "There are worst fates out there."

Caroline, fanning herself, stumbled her way over to Bonnie and Greg, sat down unceremoniously next to Bonnie and plopped her head on the witch's shoulder.

"I am so drunk right now," she said in a sing song manner before giggling.

And that would be quite an accomplishment for Caroline considering she had a system that pretty much resisted feeling the full effects of alcohol like a human.

"Does that mean you and Elena are over trying to reenact a Jason Vorhees movie?" Bonnie questioned.

Caroline cackled and clapped her hands together. "Bonnie, you so funny," she said before getting to her feet again and traipsing back over to her dance partner who caught her before she landed face first in the dirt. This was the most uncoordinated she ever saw Caroline and for one second Bonnie began to wonder if her beer had been drugged.

She brought her suspicious eyes over to Elena who was now standing up against a tree talking to Greg's friend, the one named Constantine, or at least that's what she thought he said his name was. Elena appeared fine. She certainly wasn't stumbling all over the place or being extra giddy. Bonnie relaxed somewhat and then flashed her eyes to Greg who was busy trying to find a constellation in the starless sky.

An animal howled in the distance and everyone kind of stilled and listened.

"Is that…was that a wolf?" Caroline asked and then burped. She giggled again before saying, "Sorry."

The guy she had been dancing with answered, "We're pretty far south for there to be wolves in this area but you can never be too sure. Don't worry I brought Nancy with me."

Caroline spun around to face him, blue-eyes narrowed. "Nancy?" she deadpanned. "Who the heck is Nancy?"

Constantine supplied the answer. "His double barrel shotgun."

Elena suddenly looked worried as if this were a bad idea to continue to party with them.

"No need to worry ladies, you're well protected," Constantine said and went back to trying to seal the deal with Elena, but the girl smiled quickly at him before slipping away.

"We should go to bed," she announced and looked pointedly at Caroline and Bonnie.

Bonnie shrugged and rose from the log. Caroline moaned and began to pout. Two of the guys looked affronted while the third kicked dirt around with his boot.

"Well, gentlemen," Caroline hiccupped. "We had a lovely time but it's off to bed."

"So soon? Things were just getting started," said the guy Caroline had been dancing with. Bonnie for the life of her couldn't remember his name.

"I know, but the queen has spoken and as her loyal subjects we must obey. Thanks for the dance."

The girls joined hands and began to carefully make their way to their tent.

Caroline fell asleep almost instantly whereas Elena and Bonnie stayed up a little while longer and played cards.

About an hour later they were all sleeping, but then Caroline jolted awake. "Shit," she grabbed the side of her head.

Elena being a light sleeper woke up and rubbed her eye. "Caroline, what's wrong?"

"I have a headache. I _never _get headaches."

"There's some water in the cooler," Elena said. "I'll go get you some."

"No, I'll go."

Bonnie moaned after having been woken up by their conversation. The sensation to use the bathroom suddenly hit her.

"Crap I have to go pee. Who's coming with me?"

"Great now I have to go," Elena mumbled.

Caroline stared at her two friends before rolling her eyes and unzipping the tent. The guys they met with earlier had vacated their little camp but she could hear their snores some fifty yards away.

"This is just how it was when we were kids. Bonnie would need to go pee, I'd be thirsty, and then Elena would be thirsty and have to pee at the same time."

Elena retrieved the flashlight and climbed out of the tent. A mosquito bit her on the chin and she slapped herself. "Ouch!"

Caroline snickered and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler. She finished the whole thing in less than a minute and reached for another one.

Bonnie did her "I need to pee" dance as she slipped her feet into her boots after holding them upside down and tapping them to make sure no spiders or other insects had crawled inside.

Being out in nature did not mean there'd be a convenient toilet around. Specially made "holes" were dug into the ground about twenty feet away from their campsite. Elena grabbed the toilet paper and bug repellent and the girls clasped hands again and made their way through the forest.

"Hold the light still!" Bonnie complained as they reached the "bathroom".

"Just pee on the ground, Bonnie. It doesn't even matter." Caroline said testily.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm getting eaten up out here and paranoid. What was that?"

Caroline snapped, "Don't start that shit, Elena. Nothing's out here."

Bonnie chuckled and finished her business. She and Elena traded places.

Something rustled in the bushes making Elena's eyes widen. She tried to hurry up and go as fast as she could but her bladder all of a sudden wanted to be stubborn and nothing was coming out.

"Guys," she said worriedly, "I really think something's out there."

"Elena, go to the freaking bathroom. I'm tired and hungover. I want to go to sleep."

Elena forced herself to go, hastily wiped and pulled her britches back up. Bonnie handed her a small bottle of sanitizer and the girls made their way back to their campsite.

Once they made it to the tent they saw a shadow of a person inside. Caroline vamped out, Bonnie summoned her power, where Elena merely clutched the flashlight to use as a weapon.

Bonnie and Caroline looked at one another, nodded silently before pouncing. Caroline dove on the tent, knocking the person over who groaned. She ripped the tent into shreds trying to get to the jelly filling inside before she heard…

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Caroline it's me! Matt!"

Caroline clamored off and him and glared. Matt found himself surrounded by three highly pissed off females.

"MATT!" they all exclaimed and then attacked him.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline said as she put him in a headlock.

"You invited me remember but I told you I had to work and wouldn't be able to come up until my shift was over."

Elena delivered a sharp slap to his shoulder. "You couldn't wait until the morning?"

"I could have but I figured why wait. I had plenty of energy left so I just decided to come on up. Caroline, let me go."

She held on a little while longer before releasing him. Matt got to his feet and brushed the forest debris off his clothes. He stared down at the decimated tent.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I brought my spare."

* * *

The rest of the camping trip had gone off without a hitch. Bonnie had enjoyed being a true girl with her friends as they made hotdogs for breakfast, climbed the bluffs, took a ridiculous amount of pictures, before heading back to Mystic Falls.

Shortly after their camping trip Caroline was back at it again, but this time she enlisted everyone in a baseball tournament. After that they all made videos of their favorite places in town which they posted on YouTube. Bonnie had to give Stefan points for not showing his ass because they had only managed to spend nights together, and was humoring Caroline who wanted to make the most of the limited time they had left.

On the Wednesday before Stefan and Bonnie's flight to Switzerland, Bonnie had slipped out of her boyfriend's room in desperate need of a sandwich. She walked the familiar halls dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of his boxer briefs when she collided with someone who was coming up the steps.

"Sorry," Bonnie mumbled. Damon had company.

"Bonnie?"

Bonnie snapped her eyes up and they bulged. "Aunt Vanessa what are you doing here?" her eyes then traversed over her auntie and she noticed that she was wearing one of Damon's shirts and nothing else.

Aunt Vanessa self-consciously ran a hand through her tousled hair before sputtering. "Put your eyes back in their sockets, girl. You act like you've never seen a half dressed woman before."

Bonnie's mouth open and closed before she managed to squeak, "You spent the night with Damon?"

Aunt Vanessa pursed her lips in that notorious Bennett fashion prior to folding her arms over her ample bosom.

"That's none of your business, childe. And does your father know that you're shackin' up with your little boyfriend?"

Color flooded the apples of Bonnie's cheeks. She stared demurely at her feet.

Aunt Vanessa nodded sagely. "You know my secret and I know yours. We aren't going to have any problems are we?"

"No, ma'am."

"That's what I thought," Aunt Vanessa said before tilting her head up proudly and climbed the remainder of the stairs, yet she stopped and pivoted back around. "But you should know that I am a lady and I just don't give it up to anyone. But that man has a pair of lips on him, Lord have mercy."

Bonnie winced, cringed, and shuddered. She sooo didn't want _any _mental images of what those two had been up to.

It took a while for Bonnie to act normally, and by the time she began to pay attention to her surroundings she noticed that Stefan and her father had been spending some time together. She really had no idea what he did during the time she was with Caroline and Elena. Bonnie figured he either played video games or went out drinking with Damon, but lo and behold, he and her father were having talks about Europe over coffee.

So to say she was really surprised to see him sitting at the kitchen table on that Thursday was an understatement.

Stefan flashed his innocent bluish-gray eyes up at her as he drained the coffee in his cup. "Babe we were just talking about you. Did you have fun with the girls?" he asked.

Bonnie sat her purse down on the table, her eyes first going to Stefan before traveling over to her father who was wearing a poker face.

"Yeah, I did. We had dinner and went to go see _The Avengers. _How long have you been here?"

"Just a few hours."

"Yeah," Thomas Bennett intercepted the conversation. "Stefan was just reassuring me that he's familiar with Europe after having lived there for sometime. So I feel a little bit better about you going there for the next six weeks."

"Hmm. Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat," Bonnie headed over to the fridge.

Thomas Bennett stood up from the chair, taking his cup and depositing it in the sink. "That's all right. Stefan and I cooked dinner. He's a pretty good chef."

Bonnie felt the world tilt. What the heck was Stefan trying to do? Be Boyfriend of the Year? He had showed absolutely no interest in getting to know her dad and vice versa so for the both of them to act chummy all of a sudden…something was definitely up.

Thomas kissed her cheek, clapped Stefan on the shoulder, and made his way out of the kitchen. "You kids have a good night."

The minute he was gone, Bonnie sat down at the table. "So…what's going on with you and my dad?"

Stefan crossed his legs and winked at her. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

She glared at him.

Stefan smirked, picked up her hand and kissed it. "Tomorrow will be our last night here and I want to make it special for you. Thomas and I…"

Bonnie rose an eyebrow, "Thomas? You're on a first name basis now?"

To that Stefan rolled his eyes. "Mr. Bennett and I think it's a good idea to get everyone together and have dinner at my place out on the lawn. I'm gonna have the whole thing catered, and all you have to worry about is fitting into whatever dress you and the glam squad decide to pick out."

"I thought we agreed that it would be just you and I at the boardinghouse?"

Bonnie watched as her boyfriend rose from the table. "I changed my mind. Your last night here should be spent with the people who are important to you. Because you'll only have two weeks with them before it's off to Duke. So I've humored you and your entourage for the last two weeks," he bent over until they were eye-level, "now it's time you humor me."

Something told Bonnie that statement had a double meaning to it.

He grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her up to her feet. "And you can start right now. There is a backseat that desperately needs to get waxed. Come take a drive with me."

Bonnie nodded her head. "Okay."

Stefan drove them out to the lagoon, to the place where he gave her his mother's lapis lazuli ring. Parking the car, he lowered the hood of the convertible and he and Bonnie climbed into the backseat.

She straddled him. His hands cupped her backside; their lips met with mutual need.

The crickets sang their own melody. It was a perfect moment.

"I'm glad I don't have to go to Switzerland by myself," she admitted. "If I had to…it would make leaving ten times harder."

Stefan brushed her hair off her satiny shoulders and pecked the tip of her nose. "And I'm glad I have the means to go with you. It's too bad they wouldn't approve your alternative housing and you have to stay in the dorms."

Bonnie nodded her head in agreement. "But you won't be far."

He entwined their fingers. "Of course not. I plan to be a lot closer to you actually."

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "How do you plan to get any closer? You're staying in the apartment complex right across the street from the school."

"That's for me to know and for you to figure out."

Bonnie sighed. It was such a typical Salvatore response to a question. And thinking of the Salvatore's she couldn't help but remember catching her aunt lurking around the boardinghouse. Part of Bonnie felt like Damon violated her for hooking up with her aunt, but on the same token she was kind of happy that he was finally veering away from his usual tastes in women.

Aunt Vanessa could handle herself so Bonnie had no worries in that respect, but really just thinking of her being with Damon in any kind of capacity had the desired effect of making bile rise to the back of her throat.

"Stef…I think your brother is dating my aunt."

Stefan was silent for a second before barking out in laughter. Bonnie smacked his chest with her hand.

"Hey, I'm trying my best not to be traumatized here," she scolded.

"I'm sorry," he said after sobering yet still chuckled. "What can I say about my brother except he likes keeping it in the family," he laughed again. "And I've known for a while that he was talking to your Aunt Vanessa. I heard her on the phone one night Damon was laying around the house."

Bonnie pushed away from his chest to glare at him. "And you didn't think to bring that up to me?"

He shrugged. "What were you going to do about it? You know how he is when you tell him not to mess with or touch something. He goes and he does it anyway."

Bonnie thought for a moment. Unfortunately Stefan spoke the truth.

He cupped her cheek, running the pad of his thumb over her smooth skin. "If you want my humble opinion I believe Damon dating an 'older' woman will be good for him. He needs someone who's had some life experience. Plus, he hasn't been bitching at me and that's always a much welcomed relief."

Bonnie slid her arms around Stefan's shoulders. "He's not going to know what to do with himself when you're gone."

"That's his burden to bear. As much as Damon acts like he needs constant supervision, he's highly independent. He might cry himself to sleep for the first few nights…"

Bonnie giggled.

"But eventually I'm sure the boardinghouse will be jammed packed with broads from all over the place to keep him company."

"Hmm, not if my aunt has anything to say about it."

Stefan kissed her cheek and the tip of her nose again. "Can we stop talking about Damon, now? I have a headache. Do you think you can help me out?"

Something told Bonnie he wasn't referring to the head on his shoulders. "You are so gross."

"And your mind is always in the gutter."

"I wonder why."

"Well," Stefan said and unzipped his pants, "why don't I do an investigation about that claim."

* * *

\A gossamer tent large enough to cover half a football field had been set up in the Salvatore backyard. Votive candles dangled from surrounding tree branches, and the perfume of imported flowers permeated the air. Crystal chandeliers illuminated the inside of the tent and there was a specially made hardwood floor. A heavily decorated table was covered with cream linens, polished silverware, and tall centerpieces showcasing white and deep indigo roses.

Bonnie dressed in a champagne colored halter dress stepped into the tent marveling at all the detail Stefan and her dad went through to make tonight special. If anything this all felt like a wedding reception.

Stefan materialized out of nowhere dressed in all black formal attire and handed her a flute of champagne, wrapped an arm around her waist, and kissed her neck.

"Do you like it?"

After taking a sip of the bubbly she nodded her head and smiled. "I love it. It's beautiful, but you didn't have to do all of this."

Stefan took the flute out of her hands and took a sip. "How many times do I have to tell you that there is nothing too special in this world I wouldn't do for you," he pointed at her.

They could hear chatter which meant more of their guests had arrived. When the couple turned around they saw everyone from Caroline and Matt who brought along Dana, to Damon, Aunt Vanessa—Bonnie tried her best to keep her face neutral as she passed her eyes over them—Thomas Bennett, Elena, Alaric, and Jeremy.

Bonnie snapped her eyes up to Stefan. "You invited Jeremy?"

He kept his eyes on their approaching guests while answering, "It seemed the right thing to do."

Bonnie wasn't exactly sold on that. For a second she couldn't really remember the last time she saw or spoke to Jeremy. It was probably the night she had to close the door to the other side and needed Elena's necklace to do so.

What she did notice about him was that he no longer appeared sullen and moody. His olive skin tone had come back; he no longer had dark circles under his eyes, and if anything he reminded her of the Jeremy she had fallen in love with.

They briefly made eye contact and Bonnie offered him a conciliatory smile. Jeremy returned it but it seemed a bit strained.

Whatever.

Bonnie went over to greet everyone, giving everyone, with the notable exception of Jeremy hugs and kisses on the cheek.

When she approached her Aunt and Damon she wanted to chastise them, but they were her elders and she always respected the elderly—in Damon's case especially.

Bonnie hugged her aunt who couldn't stop touching Damon who stood there eating it all up for what it's worth.

"Auntie I'm glad you could make it."

"I couldn't let my favorite niece down on her last night before jet-setting to Europe for the summer."

Damon winked at the little witch and tried his best to keep from laughing out loud. If Bonnie could get away with lighting his ass up he would be charred and extra crispy by the end of the night.

But she did pull him slightly away to give him this warning. "You do anything to disrespect, hurt, maim, or accidentally kill my aunt you won't have to worry about me setting you on fire. No, I'd bypass all of that and decimate you down to molecular levels. You got that?"

"Has anyone told you how hot you are when you start speaking like a scientist?"

Bonnie sighed exasperatedly and walked away. If was sometimes almost impossible to have a serious conversation with Damon, but she knew he used humor as a defense mechanism.

Yet Damon caught her by the arm. "Bon, do you think I would chance dating a Bennett if I wasn't perfectly aware of the consequences that would come along if I did any of the above? Give me _some _credit."

"I guess I'm adjusting to the fact you aren't the ogre you used to be."

His celestial blue eyes began to bore into hers and crinkled with humor. "Does that make you the Fiona to my Shrek? Add Stefan as Donkey and we're the perfect trio."

Bonnie giggled and shook her head. "You always know how to use a metaphor to its full max."

"I've had centuries of practice. But you've helped me fine tune my skills." He kissed her forehead. "Thanks." Damon pivoted on his feet and strolled back over to Vanessa who had been side-eyeing their interaction.

Bonnie cleared her throat and went to go mingle with her friends. It was cocktail hour after all.

Sometime later…

"Everyone!" Stefan called for attention. "If you could all gather around," he waited until everyone chose a seat at the table before continuing. "I want to thank everyone for coming out and being here for Bonnie's last night in Mystic Falls. I'm sure she's trying not to be emotional right now…"

Elena rubbed Bonnie's back for support. "Shut up, Stefan. You were the one who was crying last night."

Several people chuckled. "But you all know how much this woman means to me, so thank you for helping me send her off the right way. Now…let's eat!"

Shouts, claps, and cheers were thrown into the air.

The group dined on roasted duck, lamb, Greek salad, a myriad of vegetables, and was now enjoying pastries, and cakes.

Conversations flowed and ebbed like a symphony as the hours ticked away on the clock. Bonnie and Stefan traded heated looks with one another while he sat at the head of the table with her to his right. Being here in this moment, that he would bring together her friends and family made her love for him increase that she felt slightly overwhelmed by how powerful it was. Yet the absence of fear was noticeable because Bonnie no longer had any lingering doubts or heard voices in the back of her head that one day her fairytale would be over and Stefan would no longer be in her life.

Near the conclusion of dessert, Stefan wiped his mouth clean, "Excuse me for a second," he pecked Bonnie on the crown of her head before heading off towards the house.

"Hey Bon," Elena said. Bonnie looked at her. "What's up with Damon and Aunt Vanessa? Are they like…dating?" Elena mouthed the words because she knew Damon with his bionic hearing would have heard her otherwise.

"I believe so," Bonnie hedged. Oh, her aunt and Damon were doing much more than dating. Bonnie felt her stomach contents bubble at the thought.

"Well, I hope she makes him happy."

"That all depends on Damon," Bonnie said and stared right at him as he looked at her from across the table. Looking away, Bonnie brought her attention back to her friend. "Does it bother you seeing him with someone else?"

Elena shook her head and played with the chocolate icing on her cake. "Not anymore. I had my chance and blew it, and I've moved on," she sat her fork down. "You remember that guy Constantine from the campsite?"

Bonnie nodded.

Elena grinned slowly. "He and I have been talking."

Now Bonnie was cheesin'. "For real?"

"Yep, and he's coming up here next weekend."

"Ooh, so where's he from?"

"He's from Roanoke."

"Elena, I'm so happy for you."

"Caroline was right when she said I needed to jump back on the dating horse. She actually threatened bodily harm if I didn't put in any effort to make out with one guy by the end of the summer."

"That's Caroline for you. She has no problem laying someone out on the pavement if you don't do as she says."

From across the table Caroline voiced her opinion. "I keep hearing my name over here. What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing," Elena and Bonnie said simultaneously.

Smacking her napkin over her plate, Caroline rose from her seat to approach her two friends but suddenly piano music started playing accompanied by drums, symbols, and a bass guitarist.

The conversations around the table began to dull until everyone eventually grew silent.

"Where's Stefan?" Elena asked.

"I have no clue," Bonnie mumbled as she shifted left in her chair towards where the music was coming from.

The music increased in sound and then someone started singing.

_Bonnie will find a better place to fall asleep  
She belongs to fairy tales that I could never be  
The future haunts with memories that I could never have  
But hope is just a stranger wondering how it got so bad_

Bonnie gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. Was that…was that Stefan singing? Her suspicions were confirmed when a spotlight from somewhere illuminated the area the music was coming from and her boyfriend was sitting at a piano, the sleeves of his black button down rolled up to his elbows as he sang into a microphone. Her jaw along with everyone else's jaw dropped open. Did Damon even know his brother could sing?

_I die each time you look away  
My heart, my life will never be the same  
This love will take my everything  
One breath, one touch will be the end of me_

Then suddenly there was a flash mob of couples dressed in ballroom dancing attire began performing a waltz while lyrical dancers circled the piano.

"This is beyond romantic," Caroline cried and pulled out her digital camera to record this moment. Bonnie's jaw was still hanging open.

_You could be the final straw that brings me back to earth  
Ever-waiting airports full of the love that you deserve  
Wishing I could find a way to wash away the past  
Knowing that my heart will break, but at least the pain will last_

Stefan detached the microphone and slid off the piano bench as someone else quickly took his spot and began tickling the keys without missing a beat.

_I die each time you look away  
My heart, my life will never be the same  
This love will take my everything  
One breath, one touch will be the end of me_

He stood maybe less than five yards away from Bonnie as he sang the final stanza of the song. Her heart was beating a mile a minute in her chest.

_Bonnie will find a better place to fall asleep  
Maybe she will save me in the oceans of her dream  
And maybe someday love_

Stefan closed the distance separating him from the woman who loved him despite his deficiencies and did all she could to turn him into an honorable man. He dropped to one knee.

'_Maybe someday love'_

Pulled out a black velvet ring box…

'_Maybe someday love…'_

Finished the song and put the microphone down.

Bonnie wasn't breathing. Caroline was crying and practically jumping up and down on her feet. Alaric looked worried and more than a little dumbstruck. Elena's gaze was intent on the ring box, Jeremy looked…well not happy, and Damon was Damon as he guzzled from a champagne bottle.

Stefan reached for Bonnie's shaking hand. "Sei l'amore della mia vita…you are the love of my life. Bonnie you are the absolute best part of my existence. You have loved me more than I've deserved, and I don't want to imagine living in a world without you, or losing you for any reason. Your smile and your heart are the first things I think about in the morning and what I dream about at night. I love the sound of your voice, your laughter, when you get on my ass, your essence, _you_. I want you by my side, and only forever will do," he pulled back the hood of the box to reveal a four carat solitaire cut diamond on a quarter inch rose gold band. "Will you be my wife? Will you marry me?"

Fat tears rolled down Bonnie's cheeks. Her brain was a little slow to process what was going on. His words had melted into her skin, struck her heart, and touched her soul, and the thought of losing him was just as painful.

Bonnie didn't look for guidance from anyone around the table because she knew she'd get mixed results. Some would feel she and Stefan were _way_ too young to get married. Bonnie could search the world over and would never encounter anyone like Stefan nor would she love anyone the way she loved him. So the moral of the story was…

They belonged together. Forever. Point blank. End of discussion.

Slowly she began to smile as she regained control of her quivering limbs. Her silence had gone on for too long.

She licked her lips. "I'm going to answer in three languages. French…qui. Spanish…si. English…YES!" she cried out in euphoric happiness and laughed almost hysterically.

Stefan chuckled, kissed her quickly before slipping the ring on her finger. Bonnie jumped up from the seat into his arms as everyone clapped and cheered for them.

Then in their typical fashion completely forgot they were in front of company and began tonguing another one down.

"Jeeze," Damon complained. "No need to give us a preview of the honeymoon."

After coming down from their high they were swamped. Bonnie hugged her father who had unshed tears lining his eyes.

"You're not having a heart attack," Bonnie mused. "Were you in on this?"

Thomas Bennett looked sheepish. "He did things the proper way by asking my permission. He's not so bad, I don't think. But he knows I have an assault rifle so if he hurts you…they'll have a hard time trying to find his body."

Bonnie blinked. "Okay," she drew out the word.

"I want to see the ring," Caroline demanded. Bonnie flung out her hand and her blond friend squealed. "Dang that rock is hugmo!"

"Congratulations, Bonnie," Elena said a bit quietly and hugged her friend.

Damon sauntered up to his brother and clapped him on the shoulder. "Can't believe you're about to take the plunge, bro…but you made an excellent choice."

"I thought so, too. That's why I asked her to marry me," Stefan replied smartly.

"Great," Damon whined. "Now this means Aunt Vanessa is gonna be looking for a rock. Should I kill you now or later?"

Stefan grinned at his brother. "Always later of course. I'm going to marry the woman of my dreams, and then," he turned to face his brother completely putting his back towards the crowd, and whispered…

Stefan smacked Damon on the shoulder before walking away.

Damon was completely frozen.

It took another hour for the hoopla to die down. Bonnie said her goodbyes to her friends who would be coming over in the morning to see her off to the airport. A cleaning staff was already hard at work dismantling the tent, clearing the table, and snapping up the hardwood floor.

Bonnie, seated on the fountain ledge, kept gazing at her ring still getting adjusted to the fact she was engaged to be married. She giggled feeling incandescently happy.

"So you're really going to marry him?"

Startled Bonnie almost fell into the fountain. She craned her neck up to stare at Jeremy. It was plain to see the fury lining his dark brown eyes.

"I said yes for a reason, Jeremy. I love him and I want to be with him for the rest of my life."

Jeremy snorted and looked away. "He's a vampire, Bonnie and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the balance would approve of your union."

This time a tic began in Bonnie's jaw. As a result the wind began to blow just a little bit harder. "Well, it's a good thing I don't care about your opinion or anyone else's. This is my life and this is what I'm going to do with it." She rose to her full height and stared him down. Jeremy fidgeted a little under her intense gaze.

"I am going to become Misses Stefan Salvatore, and if you don't like it…fuck you," she grinned and skipped past him and off into the house.

"Good night to all and to all a good night!" Bonnie said before slamming one of the French double doors shut.

Chapter end.

**A/N: The song Stefan was singing is called "Love Song Requiem" by Trading Yesterdays, and I had to change the one of the lyrics because the song is originally about a girl called Emily, but I changed it to Bonnie. Sorry. **

**What I witnessed last night…I have no hope, well I should say I have very little hope that we'll even get a solid Stefonnie or Bamon friendship since the writers are so hellbent on having Damon be a disrespectful ass to Bonnie. I know JP said in one of her rare tweets about Bamon, that their snark is part of the fun, but the only person snarking (I know that's not a word lol) is Damon while Bonnie just tosses him an annoyed look. I'm sick of it. I want early S2 Bamon back. Is that too much to ask? Apparently. I'm happy Stefan finally decided to collect his balls, but I only see his emancipation lasting for three episodes tops, and Steroline happening. As much as I used to love Caroline, (this season so far she's been just as crappy a friend to Bonnie as Elena—which I understand perfectly well is the writing but still she was the one I could depend on to be in Bonnie's corner and so far she's been M.I.A and what she said to Tyler about his friend Chris as if his life is not as important as Elena's I'm done with Caroline, too) I'm kind of tired of seeing ALL the guys with Caroline in some capacity whether romantically linked or stepping in as someone's bestie. Bonnie is the hero, but she is one of the most disrespected and belittled characters. I guess that's because she's not a handsome and handsomely rich white man, or a mutant, or whatever, that its perfectly fine to diminish her in this light. This has been a tough decision but I've started divorce proceedings from this show. I can't keep living through fanfiction. I need SOMETHING for Bonnie, and not some poorly patched up, thrown together something either, but again we're dealing with crap writers who have broken my heart for the last time. It's over. This is for me personally, but I don't want to read anymore spoilers, I don't want to see anymore still shots. I don't want to hear anything else about TVD in relation to Bonnie because it ALWAYS falls flat.  
**


	35. Full Circle:The End

**A/N: Well, here it is folks, the final chapter in the A Kiss Goodnight saga. Thank you for your patience as I reloaded the chapters, made special edits, and all that good stuff. I know I promised a sequel to this, and hopefully it'll get written one day. Until then…enjoy! And thank you so much for the continued support! Love you!**

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW (except my OC's). No copyright infringement is intended.

There were no words adequate enough in the English language or in any language in the world that could come remotely close to explaining how euphoric Bonnie was right now. She nearly choked on her toothpaste from her giggles as she attempted to ready for bed but would find herself gazing like a fiend at her engagement ring.

She couldn't help but feel as if she were living on an astral plane in between dimensions because this type of stuff only happened to people in movies and on television. She wasn't supposed to fall madly in love with a sworn enemy, and she certainly wasn't supposed to get engaged at the tender age of eighteen.

Bonnie had reassured her father before he went home that she would have a long engagement; that he wouldn't need to head over to Men's Warehouse to buy a tux for nuptials taking place in three months. Bonnie had always been a practical person. There were still goals and things she wanted to conquer and cross off her list before getting married. She didn't think she'd have the patience to go all four years of college being engaged to Stefan, but she at least wanted to get a year or two of college experience under her belt before tackling on the challenges involved with being a wife.

She spat out her toothpaste and laughed again.

"I don't think that rock is going anywhere if you don't look at it every two seconds," Damon reprimanded as he leaned against the threshold.

Bonnie snapped her head to stare at him drolly and then rinsed her mouth. "Hater," she muttered and wiped the excess toothpaste away from the corners of her mouth.

Damon shook his head. "I'm not hating. I'm actually here to officially welcome you to the Salvatore family. Lord knows it needs some new blood."

Bonnie grinned and then found herself wrapped up in Damon's arms hugging him back. It felt surreal that in another year or so he'd be her brother.

The world tilted uncomfortably for a moment.

"Get off my fiancé, dude," Stefan entered into the suddenly crowded bathroom. But Damon shifted blocking Stefan from reaching Bonnie who began laughing.

"You two are ridiculous," she said and slipped out of Damon's arms and walked back over to the sink to finish her nightly routine.

Stefan grabbed a towel off the rack and began snapping it at Damon's legs who hopped out of the way.

"I get it," Damon said while holding up his hands in surrender. "I know when I'm not wanted," he winked at Bonnie. "Again, welcome to the family."

Bonnie inclined her head. "Thank you."

Once he vacated the room, Stefan closed the door to the bathroom and then hugged Bonnie from the back and kissed her cheek.

"Tell me now if you're having second thoughts."

She stared at his reflection in the mirror. "Why would I have any regrets about agreeing to marry you? It's probably one of the smartest decisions I've made all year."

"No, the smartest decision you've ever made was letting me in your house last September."

Bonnie smiled. "From sexual enslavement to marriage, who would have thought it would be possible."

A smug look overcame his face. "That's just the power of my dick."

Bonnie elbowed his midsection. "Can you do something about that mouth?"

Stefan bent his legs as he began to drop to his knees. "I can," he wiggled his eyebrows. However, Bonnie frowned at him. Stefan sighed and stood to his feet again.

"I have to know…if I had said no back then, would you really have slaughtered my neighbors?"

Stefan rested his chin on top of her shoulder. "Maybe…I was awfully bored that night."

Bonnie could do nothing but shake her head. "In all seriousness, Stefan, why did you sleep with me?"

He balked for a second. "Apparently you haven't seen you naked."

Bonnie reached backwards and popped him on the back of the head. "I'm not talking about that, dum-dum, what I want to know is…why did you even want to take things there with me? I seriously didn't think I was your type—_at all._"

Stefan sighed and turned Bonnie until she faced him. "Even after all this time I still have to explain this one fundamental reason to you…_you _are the reason I wanted to be with you that first night and every night that followed thereafter. I remember your face on the first day I enrolled at Mystic Falls High, and from that day I knew exactly what you were even if you weren't fully aware of it. You were beautiful to me then and you're extraordinarily beautiful to me now. And I've lived long enough to know who I wanted to spend the rest of eternity with."

A corner of her Cupid's bow lips lifted in a smirk and wordlessly they kissed one another, deepening it, and pulling away when Bonnie needed to breathe. She rested her head on his chest.

"You can be a hot mess sometimes, Stefan, but I love you and I can't wait to be your wife."

"And I can't wait for you to use my last name. Here let's practice. Bonnie Salvatore. Has a nice ring to it."

Bonnie held up her left hand and grinned. "It certainly does. But I have to question, why a rose gold band?"

"So it can match your grandmother's necklace."

Bonnie's jaw dropped in astonishment that he would remember that her favorite piece of jewelry was her Grams' rose gold wreath necklace.

Without warning, Stefan's mouth was being invaded by small pink lips and an urgent tongue. He chuckled before kissing Bonnie with as much power as she was using. This he certainly would never get tired of. Her love for him.

**The next morning**

A black town car pulled up outside of the boardinghouse. Stefan armed with Bonnie's bags dumped everything on the brick pathway and shook hands with the driver who began to load the trunk. His future wifey came out of the house with Caroline and Elena flanking her. Damon followed the procession outside squinting against the brightness of the morning sun.

"Call me as soon as you land in Switzerland. I don't care what time it is, call me," Caroline said and leaned in for a hug.

When she pulled away she had to wipe the tears away from her face. "And you better not do something incredibly selfish like elope," Caroline threatened and then brought her cornflower blue eyes over to Stefan. "Because if I find out that you've talked my girl into eloping I will take great pleasure in dismembering you."

Stefan snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother," he said sarcastically.

Elena kind of pushed Caroline aside so she could get her last hug in. "I know you're coming back in six weeks but I don't know why I feel like I'm never going to see you again."

"You will," Bonnie promised.

The two girls smiled at one another and tried their hardest to fight the incoming onslaught of tears and snot.

"But who knows," Elena went on to say. "Jeremy is considering finishing school out in Denver."

Bonnie's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Really? When did he decide that?"

Elena shrugged and looked uncomfortable for a minute. "Sometime ago, but I think last night probably hammered the decision, which actually I think a change of scenery would be good for him. And," the brunette began to beam, "if he goes then I can transfer to another school. NC State isn't that far from Duke."

Inwardly Stefan groaned. The last thing he wanted was Mystic Falls to follow him and Bonnie to North Carolina. He could see it now in his mind that he and Bonnie would be forced to settle in some gated suburban community and Caroline would insist they all live in the same cul-de-sac and have barbeques every single weekend. He'd never have a moment of peace.

"Elena that would be great!" The girls hugged again.

Damon caught his brother's eye and snickered.

"As wonderful as that all sounds," Stefan interrupted their 90210 moment, "Bonnie and I have an international flight to catch," he reached in between the girls for Bonnie's hand and began to pull her towards the waiting car.

Everyone began talking simultaneously making declarations and promises to remain in touch over the summer break. Damon and Stefan inclined their heads towards one another. They weren't big on brotherly PDA.

Bonnie waved and then slid into the car, but then Caroline approached and detained Stefan.

"Oh, I have a favor to ask you," she said. "Can I drive the Maserati?"

And of course he stared at Caroline as if he wanted to say "Are you out of your fucking mind? That's a two-hundred thousand dollar car."

But Caroline interrupted his "no" as if they were playing double dutch. "I promise not to crash it, get a scratch on it, and I'll wash it. Please? It would be criminal to let it sit in the garage and collect dust."

Well, she did have a point but that car…it's just a car he thought and could always get another one if she wrecked it.

Stefan relented. "Fine. The keys are in the kitchen."

Caroline beamed and then spontaneously leaned over and quickly pecked his cheek. Bemused, Stefan slipped his aviator shades on, threw up the deuces sign and folded neatly into the town car.

The driver pulled away and Bonnie and Stefan entwined their hands.

"That was really nice of you," she complimented and nibbled on his neck.

He grinned devilishly. "How nice?"

"_Really, really _nice," her hand began to travel down the center of his chest prompting Stefan to raise the partition that separated the driver from staring in the backseat. He then turned and captured Bonnie's lips.

The driver snorted as he heard giggles and zippers being lowered. "Horn dogs," he muttered and merged on the highway.

* * *

**Somewhere off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea**

Navy blue eyes stared out into the calm crystalline waters. For weeks he had done nothing but move from place to place trying to understand the new life he was now apart of. As much as he enjoyed learning about his family there was the side of him that felt he was still missing a vital piece of himself.

Raphael didn't acknowledge the person joining him on the patio. There was only one person with him in this large seaside villa. After spending months alone with Klaus he could honestly say he was tired of looking at his face.

Funny considering he was his twin.

Klaus, slipping on imported wine saddled up to his despondent looking twin, snorted unsympathetically before staring out into the water.

"Something the matter?' he asked and took a sip.

"Do you actually care?"

Klaus cocked a shoulder in the air. "Assuming I'm the elder between us it would be within my right to look after the welfare of my siblings."

Raphael finally brought his eyes over to his brother, his blood red lips curled into a sarcastic grin. "Is that a long-winded way of saying 'no'."

Klaus laughed and clapped Raphael on the shoulder. "Tell me what troubles you."

Raphael looked away. It seemed hypocritical of Klaus to sprout how much his family meant to him yet they still remained locked away in coffins with daggers sticking out of their chests. Repeatedly he had asked Klaus when he would wake the rest of their family, and his answer had always been the same: they needed time to acclimate to one another before bringing in the rest of the battalion.

But Raphael had always been a shrewd person and he knew the real reason why Klaus was avoiding waking up the rest of their siblings: fear.

More than likely they'd all attempt to kill him or hurt him because of the way he treated them for centuries. And Raphael wouldn't lift a finger to intervene. Klaus would deserve whatever treatment he'd get from their siblings because come on who does that? Lock their loved one away and tote them around like corpses?

But unfortunately other than Klaus' mindless hybrids Raphael's social circle was severely lacking.

"I was thinking about love actually," Raphael finally admitted.

Klaus rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath, "Jesus."

Raphael heard him anyways and as a result his lips flattened into a thin line. "I want her for myself. She has so much passion and her loyalty knows no bounds."

Klaus began to lean against the stone railing just like his brother. "You still fancy yourself in love with the witch and you've known her for a total of a few hours. I should warn you, mate, that climbing Mount Everest without hands or feet would be much less complicated than trying to get Bonnie to love you."

Raphael chuckled.

Klaus continued. "I told you that she is still very much in love with Stefan. Your little trick to dissolve their relationship backfired. She's a vengeful person in the making, that one. I'd watch my back if I were you."

"You think I care anything about that? You've loved a woman haven't you?"

Klaus' jaw began to tick as he thought of the only woman he ever loved and the ruthless way she was taken from him.

"So you can understand my plight. I've given her enough time to be with that lesser vampire. She needs someone like me in her life."

Klaus snorted and finished the rest of his wine. "Are you seriously going to complain about this for the next fifty years? You do realize she's human and will die one day?"

Raphael held up his wrist. "And I have the means to extend her life. All I need is opportunity. And you have to help me."

"Why? Why should I have to do anything you tell or ask of me?" Klaus demanded straightening to his full height. Raphael matched his defensive pose.

"You don't have a choice, Niklaus. For all the things you've taken from others, in one night I can clean out your lot of hybrids or simply place my head in a guillotine and it'd be over for the both of us. Or I can wake up our brothers and sister and tell them who really killed our mother. I'm sure that'll be fun times for you."

Klaus glared at him.

Raphael laid his hands on his brother's shoulders. "You help me with this and I will find the means to unbind our lives. I'll disappear and never bother you again. The decision is yours."

Klaus would be a world-class idiot if he passed up the opportunity to gain his freedom back, to be his own person again. For months he denied the reason why he walked on eggshells whenever he had to deal with Raphael because with one wrong move, Raphael might do something spiteful and end the both of them. Klaus couldn't be compelled so he could only explain feeling how he was presently feeling to compulsion. And it sucked!

If it meant breaking up a happy couple for his neurotic twin brother all to gain his freedom, there were worse things out there he could do to obtain it. But Klaus genuinely liked Bonnie and even had a soft spot for Stefan in his heart—what was left of it anyways—but Klaus loved himself more and that would never change.

Klaus reluctantly dug in his back pocket for his phone. "I want your word that the minute you get Bonnie to have you, that you undo whatever you had done that's tied our fates together."

"You have it," Raphael stretched out his hand. Klaus looked carefully into his eyes before extending his and the two shook on it.

"All right," Klaus said and punched in the familiar numbers. "Let's go get your girl, but we'll need reinforcements." He held the device up to his ear and waited for the line to be connected. Once it did and he heard the soft feminine voice, Klaus smiled. "Abby, how are you, love? We need to talk."

The end.

**A/N: Once again, thank you for reading this story and taking this Stefonnie journey with me. Much love and appreciation. You guys are awesome! Love you!**


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